COLORADO — With 2023 now in the books, we're looking back at some of the most impactful local stories of the past year.
Remembering Officer Julian Becerra
The year began with the tragic loss of a Fountain Police Officer who died serving his community.
In February, Fountain Police Officer Julian Becerra fell 40 feet from the S. Academy Bridge over Fountain Creek. Officer Becerra spent a little more than a week in the hospital before dying from his injuries.
WATCH: REMEMBERING FOUNTAIN OFFICER JULIAN BECERRA
Officer Becerra was assigned to the patrol division as a K-9 officer. Before joining Fountain PD, he served with the El Paso County Sheriff's Office. He left behind a wife and two children.
Election of Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade
After a too-close-to-call election in April, voters in Colorado Springs elected Yemi Mobolade to be the city's mayor in a May runoff.
Mobolade made history as the city's first elected black mayor and replaced John Suthers, who was term-limited.
WATCH: YEMI MOBOLADE ADDRESSES SUPPORTERS
Letecia Stauch Verdict
In May, justice came for Gannon Stauch, the 9-year-old El Paso County boy who was murdered by his stepmom, Letecia Stauch in 2020.
A jury found Letecia Stauch guilty on several counts, including first-degree murder. She was sentenced to serve two life sentences without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 13 years.
"I'll never get to see my boy again," said Al Stauch, Gannon's father. "All we can do is take what we're given and move forward and try to find the joy in our lives and not let the pain overcome us."
WATCH: A NEW MURAL IN DOWNTOWN COLORADO SPRINGS HONORS GANNON STAUCH
Club Q Shooter Pleads Guilty
The following month, a plea deal was announced in the Club Q shooting that left five people dead in Colorado Springs.
The shooter pleaded guilty to five counts of first degree murder, 46 counts of attempted murder, and no contest to two bias motivated crimes. He was sentenced to five consecutive life sentences, plus 48 years for more than 2,000 years in prison.
WATCH: FAMILIES OF FIVE VICTIMS KILLED AT CLUB Q REMEMBER THEIR LOVED ONES
Future Plans for Club Q
The owners of Club Q announced that the club will not re-open at it's old location. Instead, a new venue known as "The Q" will open at the Satellite Hotel in southeast Colorado Springs.
WATCH: LEADERS WITH CLUB Q COME UP WITH A PLAN TO START MOVING FORWARD
King Soopers Temporary Closure
In June, a community considered to be a food desert suffered a major blow when the King Soopers at S. Academy Blvd. and Hancock Expy. was forced to temporarily close after asbestos was found in some floor tiles.
Local food banks stepped up to help the community, and King Soopers supported them with donations.
The asbestos was cleaned up, and the newly remodeled store reopened to customers in November, five months after it closed.
WATCH: KING SOOPERS ANNOUNCES TENTATIVE PLANS TO REOPEN SOUTH ACADEMY STORE
Joshua Johnson Verdict
In late September, another trial involving a young victim in Colorado Springs went to trial.
Joshua Johnson was charged with the brutal murder of his co-worker, Riley Whitelaw in the break room of a northwest side Walgreens. She was just 17-years-old at the time of her death. Johnson was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
WATCH: REMEMBERING RILEY WHITELAW
Return to Nature Funeral Home
In October, a story broke in Fremont County that would have far reaching impacts across Southern Colorado, and would capture headlines across the country.
An investigation reveled that bodies had been improperly disposed of at the Return to Nature funeral home in Penrose. In the end, they would find the remains of 190 people in the facility.
People who used it are still waiting and wondering if their loved ones were among them.
WATCH: VICTIMS OF RETURN TO NATURE SHARE WHAT OWNER'S ARRESTS MEAN TO THEM
"Just thinking about him being there in that mess has been devastating for me," said Mary Simons, a widow and victim of the Return to Nature funeral home.
The funeral home owners were arrested in Oklahoma, and extradited back to Colorado for prosecution. They face hundreds of counts of abuse of a corpse, fraud, and money laundering.
Train Derailment
Also in October, a coal train derailed north of Pueblo, causing the partial collapse of a railroad bridge, and forcing the closure of I-25 for nearly four days.
The driver of a semi truck that was passing under the bridge when the derailment and collapse happened was killed. He was identified as Lafollette Henderson from Compton, California.
WATCH: ONE DEAD AS TRAIN DERAILS ONTO I-25 NORTH OF PUEBLO
Shooting Outside of Courthouse
In November, a man was shot to death in broad daylight on a busy sidewalk just outside of the El Paso County Courthouse in Colorado Springs. The suspect was quickly arrested.
According to an arrest affidavit, Shaquille Brown told police that the victim had assaulted him at a bar, and had threatened him on social media. The affidavit says Brown told police that he feared for his life, and that's why he shot the victim.
WATCH: SHOOTING INVESTIGATION AT EL PASO CO COURTHOUSE
Custer County Shooting
Also in November, a quadruple shooting that left three people dead rocked the normally quiet Custer County community.
Investigators learned that the shooting was the result of a property dispute between neighbors over an easement. The shooting prompted a more than day-long manhunt that ended when the suspect, Hanme Clark, was arrested in New Mexico.
Those killed were identified as Rob Geers, Beth Wade Geers, and James Daulton. Patty Daulton was also shot, but survived.
WATCH: THREE DEAD FOLLOWING A SHOOTING IN CUSTER COUNTY, SUSPECT ON THE RUN
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