Shooter of Colorado Officer was Set for Deportation

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An Iraqi refugee accused of shooting a Colorado Springs police officer in the head was in federal custody awaiting deportation in 2016 until an immigration judge put a halt to his removal, citing changes in the law.

AP reports a Department of Homeland Security official says Karrar Noaman Al Khammasi was ordered removed from the country in June 2016 for violating probation terms of a felony trespassing plea.

But, the DHS official says prosecutors ended the proceedings in October 2016, after the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the immigration law’s definition of violent crime was “too vague.”

Al Khammasi is accused of wounding Officer Cem Duzel, who remains in critical condition.

Corrie O'Connor