A 28-year-old man — upset he was not invited — showed up to a family birthday party and started shooting, killing his girlfriend and five of her family members Sunday in eastern Colorado Springs, according to police. 

Teodoro Macias, of Colorado Springs, shot six people “in a quick succession” inside a mobile home in eastern Colorado Springs before turning the gun on himself shortly after midnight, police said during a news conference Tuesday at the department’s headquarters in downtown Colorado Springs. Three children, ages 2, 5, and 12, witnessed the violence, at least in part, but weren’t injured. 

“At the core of this horrendous act is domestic violence,” said Police Chief Vince Niski. “The suspect … displayed power and control issues in this relationship.” 

Police identified the victims as Macias’ girlfriend, Sandra Ibarra-Perez, 28; her brother, Jose Ibarra, 26, and sister, Mayra Ibarra De Perez, 33; homeowner Joana Cruz, 52; and her two sons, Melvin Perez, 30, and Jose Guitierrez, 21. 

“No family should ever have to experience this type of loss or have their loved one taken from them,” Niski said.  

Police are unaware of any reported domestic violence between Sandra Ibarra and Macias, who had been dating for about a year, according to Lt. Joe Frabbiele. But Macias often tried to isolate his girlfriend from her family, he said. An El Paso County court record search showed no history of arrests for Macias nor any requests for protective orders in which he was the restrained party.  

He had a history of showing “controlling and jealous behavior” toward Sandra Ibarra, Frabbiele said. 

Shortly after midnight, Macias showed up to the home in Canterberry Mobile Home Park, owned by Joana Cruz and her husband, where seven adults and three children were inside, he said. 

Macias, who police believe arrived alone, entered the home and rapidly fired at six people before killing himself, Frabbiele said.  

The weapon used was identified as a Smith & Wesson M&P 9mm semi-automatic pistol, which was purchased from a local dealer in 2014. Police found the loaded gun with live ammunition inside the magazine, as well as an empty 15-round magazine and 17 shell casings. 

Macias was not the original owner of the gun and police are investigating to determine how he obtained the gun, Frabbiele said, adding that the gun has not been reported stolen. It is also unclear who originally purchased the gun.  

One adult who was inside at the time of the shooting was able to escape unharmed, police said. The three children were inside the main area of the home when the shooting began before moving to a bedroom to hide, police said. All three children lost one, or both, parents in the shooting, according to police. 

“The evidence supports that the children were in close proximity to the shooting and to some degree had witnessed what had happened,” Frabbiele said. 

Three additional family members — all teenagers — who had left the party before the shooting returned to the residence to discover what had happened, police said. They attempted life-saving measures to their wounded family members and gave shelter to the children.  

When officers arrived, they found six people dead and Jose Gutierrez critically injured. He was brought to the hospital, where he later died. 

Police said they received three 911 calls reporting the shooting, including one that came from a phone inside the home. The caller was unable to talk once they dialed.

In Tuesday’s news conference, Mayor John Suthers called Sunday’s shooting “a stark reminder” of the dangers of domestic violence. 

“The tragic consequences are unfathomable,” Suthers said. 

Niski said the department did not release updates to the shooting or the department’s investigation until Tuesday out of “a moral obligation to provide factual information to the families first.”  

Niski requested privacy for the families who lost loved ones in the shooting as police continue to investigate.