Victim uninjured and suspect in custody

Boulder County, Colo. - On Wednesday, November 24, 2021 at approximately 6:50 a.m., the Boulder County Communications Center received a call about a possible road rage incident that had just occurred in the area of the intersection of N. 75th St. and Heatherwood Dr. in unincorporated Boulder County, CO. The caller, who was the victim of the incident, reported that the driver of another vehicle had shot at his truck with a handgun as he was passing him. Deputies with the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office responded to the area to meet with the victim and to canvas the area for the suspect’s vehicle. The deputies interviewing the victim found a fresh bullet hole in the front passenger door of the victim’s truck, having impacted the truck from the outside. Upon further investigation, the bullet was recovered from within the truck’s passenger door.

Just after 8:00 a.m., deputies canvasing the area found a vehicle matching the description of the suspect’s vehicle parked outside a residence in the 4600 block of Ipswich St. Deputies and detectives made contact with the residents of the house, including the owner of the suspect vehicle. The owner of the vehicle admitted to driving the vehicle in the area during the timeframe of the incident, but denied any involvement in a road rage incident or shooting. Through additional investigation, detectives with the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office were able to develop probable cause for a search warrant for the suspect’s vehicle and residence. Upon serving the search warrant, detectives found a large cache of firearms, ammunition, and tactical gear in the house. Detectives also located suspected bomb-making materials, which necessitated calling in the Boulder County Regional Bomb Squad to assist in both making the scene safe and furthering the investigation.

The suspect, 39-year-old David Joseph Waters, was arrested and booked into the Boulder County Jail on the following charges stemming from the initial incident and the subsequent investigation: Attempted Murder in the 2nd Degree, a class 4 felony; Possession of an Explosive or Incendiary Device, a class 4 felony; Criminal Mischief between $300 and $750, a class 2 misdemeanor; and 36 counts of Possession of Large Capacity Magazine Prohibited, a class 2 misdemeanor.

At this time, we cannot release a photo of the suspect due to the continuing investigation and the possible need to conduct photo lineups. At this time, there is no known threat to the community. The following agencies assisted in this investigation: the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, the Boulder County Regional Bomb Squad, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Boulder Rural Fire Rescue.

The case number related to this incident is 21-5665.

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/s/Sergeant Clay Leak