Suspect identified in shooting of two teens during Westminster New Year’s Eve party
Ridge Mased, 31, was arrested for the shooting of two Westminster teenagers during a New Year’s Eve party, the Westminster Police Department announced Monday.
Police said Mased showed up to the party in the IMT Hyland Hills apartments after it was advertised on SnapChat. Mased did not know the people hosting the party and was not invited personally.
The hosts eventually asked Mased to leave the party. This led to a disturbance which escalated to Mased firing a gun, shooting a 17-year-old girl in the arm and shoulder and a 19-year-old boy in the legs, police said.
Both victims were taken to the hospital and have since been discharged.
After the shooting, Mased left the scene in his vehicle and tried to evade the police. His vehicle became “high centered” on a median in the complex at which point he fled on foot.
Mased then broke into an apartment that was unrelated to the original shooting, police said. Officers forced their way into the apartment and, after a struggle, took Mased into custody.
The handgun Mased used in the shooting was found in his vehicle.
Police said the handgun had been previously stolen in Westminster when the original owner left the gun in their car, which was broken into.
Mased is being held at the Adams County Detention Facility. He faces two charges of attempted first-degree murder, one charge of menacing and one charge of illegal discharge of a firearm.





