FOUNTAIN, Colo. — A teenager has been arrested in connection to the death of a man in Fountain last year, according to the Fountain Police Department (FPD).
After more than a year long investigation, FPD identified the suspect as a 17-year-old boy. Due to his age, his name is not being released.
A young man, later identified as 31-year-old Christian Cook, was found dead on April 9, 2023, near Alegre Circle and Highway 85/87.
The Fountain Fire Department was dispatched to an unresponsive person around 8:30 a.m. Cook was found on railroad tracks and was pronounced dead at the scene.
At this time, it is unclear what led up to Cook's killing, or why he was found on the railroad tracks.
After his death, Christian's mother, Michelle Cook, sent News5 the following statement:
When I asked my Husband what he wanted to share he had so many things he wanted the world to know about Christian. The list was endless and will always be endless as we will find ways to honor his memory and be reminded of him every day.
Christian was our son. He was a man, a person, and a human; he was OUR SON. He was also a Father, a Brother and a dear friend to so many people. Christian had some hardships and struggles throughout his life. We tried to be there for him when we could but nothing could ever prepare us to say goodbye to our child. Not like this. We are devastated. We will be devastated for the rest of our lives. His siblings will be devastated for the rest of their lives. His children will grow up never having the chance to build a relationship with their Dad. He had two brothers who called him their best friend, and a little sister who looked up to him. Please…please see him as we did and always will- as a human who did not deserve to be executed and left on the side of the highway, abandoned and alone. Our hearts are broken by how many people have stated that they drove past and saw a body- for hours people drove by and saw him. No one called till the railroad employee made the report- we would like to thank that railroad employee from the bottom of our hearts for making that call.
ALL of us live our lives everyday thinking “These things will never happen to us.” It’s just some shocking local news.
This time it did happen. It happened to him. It happened to our entire family.
Christian's father, James Cook, shared the following with News5:
Christian was human, just like you and me. He was charismatic. He was passionate and intelligent. They robbed the world of such a talented kid. He was my right hand man. He helped me work my business. He was the kid that could walk up and fix a problem in ten minutes that a group of old pros of their trade had been scratching their heads about for hours. He was just wonderful.
An arrest warrant was obtained for second-degree murder, and FPD says the 17-year-old was taken into custody and transported to a juvenile detention center.
If you have any information regarding this incident or if you were a witness to the crime, you are asked to call FPD's Tip Line at (719)382-6918. If you want to be anonymous, you can call the Crime Stoppers Tip Line at (719)634-7867.
____
____
Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching.
