Police in Greeley arrested a man who officials with the University of Northern Colorado say was spotted on their campus with a gun. The man who was arrested is Ephraim Debisa, the same man whose earlier criminal case got national attention two weeks ago after being released from jail against the wishes of a sheriff and district attorney. The release happened two weeks ago after Colorado law allowed him to walk free from unrelated charges like attempted murder.
Debisa allegedly carried the gun onto the Greeley campus on Tuesday evening. The university sent out an alert to students calling Debisa’s alleged actions a “concern,” and said he was seen at the Arlington Apartments. They said they were searching for him.
Debisa’s release from jail made national headlines after Weld County Sheriff Steve Reams said he was forced to release Debisa due to a new Colorado law. HB23-1034, signed by Gov. Jared Polis in 2024, created a loophole in the legal system. It was intended to prioritize mental health care for those found incompetent to stand trial, like Debisa. However, Debisa and some others have fallen through the cracks and have been released to the public after being deemed unqualified to receive mental health care. Without being able to receive the care or being found guilty of a crime, such alleged criminals are then able to be released into the community.
CBS News Colorado’s report about Debisa’s release was shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, by Elon Musk. It was also shared as one of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s final tweets before he was assassinated the next day. Musk and Kirk both echoed the sentiments Reams had in the CBS News Colorado report, demanding laws be changed to not allow people facing serious charges to be released in such a way as HB24-1034 allowed…