A man opened fire, shooting at passing vehicles Sunday along a highway near the Gateway Canyons Resort and Spa in western Colorado. The gunfire hit at least one vehicle before security guards, deputies and police raced to the scene and stopped the shooter, Mesa County authorities said.
Mesa County sheriff’s deputies, aided by Grand Junction police, the State Patrol and others, took Rick Whithed, 54, into custody, said Megan Terlecky, spokeswoman for the sheriff. Whithed was to be held in the Mesa County jail.
“He has minor injuries. He was not shot,” Terlecky said. “He was shooting at other vehicles. Shots were fired. At least one vehicle was hit.”
The shooting happened along Colorado 141. Security guards at Gateway Canyons, a luxury resort 55 miles southwest of Grand Junction, were first at the scene. They engaged the shooter, Terlecky said. The authorities notified people in homes, advising residents to shut windows,lock doors and stay inside. They closed Colorado 141 for a couple of hours.
Nobody else was hurt.
