COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado — The Colorado Springs Police Department on Saturday announced the arrests of two suspects in connection with the shooting deaths of two teenagers from Pueblo on Sunday, January 9.
Detectives with the CSPD obtained an arrest warrant for Kadin Blaschke, age 19, of Reno, Nevada on Thursday for two counts of second-degree murder. The detectives are part of the department's Violent Offender Fugitive Task Force (VOFTF) and coordinated with the US Marshal's Service in Reno to make the arrest.
Then on Saturday, detectives obtained an arrest warrant for a 17-year-old juvenile male suspect on two counts of second-degree murder. That male suspect was not publicly identified because of his age. He is is a resident of Colorado Springs and was subsequently taken into custody here.
The El Paso County Coroner's Office identified the victims on Thursday as 13-year-old Marcus Venezio-Hernandez and 15-year-old Nevean Tafoya. Both are residents of Pueblo, Colorado.
The shooting happened early Sunday morning at an address in the 2400 block of Chelton Road. Venezio-Hernandez and Tafoya had both died before officers arrived. Three additional victims were wounded in the shooting. Those victims were taken to a local hospital where they were treated and released.
The CSPD thanked the US Marshal’s Service and the Reno, Nevada Police Department for their assistance in this investigation.
This criminal investigation is still active and anyone with information or who is a witness to the crime should call the Colorado Springs Police Department at (719) 444-7000. To leave an anonymous tip, call the Crime Stoppers Tip Line at (719) 634-STOP (7867) or 1-800-222-8477.
