Lakewood agent killed in RTD bus shooting after suspect with prior record opened fire
Nicholas Graham, 33, died Thursday night after a man identified as Gabriel Garcia shot at officers who approached him on a bus near West Colfax Avenue and Wadsworth Boulevard.
By Amina Howard ·
A Lakewood police agent died Thursday night during a confrontation on a Regional Transportation District bus, leaving his family and colleagues to grieve a loss that ended a career defined by local service. The incident occurred near the intersection of West Colfax Avenue and Wadsworth Boulevard when officers engaged a suspect known to them from a previous hit-and-run case.
Agent Nicholas Graham, 33, was killed in the exchange, while three other agents and one bystander sustained injuries. Lakewood Police Chief Philip Smith confirmed the department’s support for the community, stating, "We are grateful for his life, proud of his service, and committed to standing beside you in the difficult days ahead."
Public Information Officer John Romero explained that agents spotted the suspect boarding the bus and called for backup. When the officers approached him, the suspect began firing immediately. The agents returned fire, and the suspect was killed at the scene.
Records from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation show that the suspect, identified by sources as Gabriel Steven Garcia, 34, has a criminal history spanning the Denver metro area, including Jefferson, Arapahoe, and Adams counties. Garcia pleaded guilty to felony assault in 2017 and served a 10-year sentence.
Garcia was released from prison in 2023, where he accumulated new charges. Most recently, he was serving a one-year sentence for First-Degree Criminal Trespass of an Inhabited Dwelling, a conviction entered on April 22, 2026, in Adams County. This sentence included one year of mandatory parole, with 149 days credited for time already served.
Broomfield police arrested Garcia on a warrant less than six weeks before the shooting. The Colorado Department of Corrections confirmed that Garcia had been released to mandatory parole supervision on September 23, 2026. He remained under the jurisdiction of the Department of Corrections Division of Adult Parole until the incident on Thursday.
