00:00I'm going to turn it over to DA Michael Dougherty.
00:08Good afternoon. I'm Michael Dougherty. I'm the District Attorney for Boulder County.
00:12I appreciate the members of the media who are here today so we can help provide this update to a grieving and traumatized community.
00:19What you see here today is us standing shoulder to shoulder, ensuring that justice is done in response to this tragic and terrible attack.
00:27We stand united in denouncing hate, terror, and violence in this community.
00:34We're united in condemning acts of anti-Semitism, hate, and violence, and we're also united in a strong response to this horrific attack.
00:45I stand with this community and the people of the state of Colorado against hate and terror.
00:51And we are united in our commitment, both at the federal level and the state level, in pursuing and securing justice for the victims of this mass attack and for the communities that we serve.
01:05Boulder is a beautiful and special place.
01:09But we're not immune from mass violence or hate crimes, including violent acts of anti-Semitism that impact far too many communities across this country.
01:18And yesterday afternoon on a beautiful day here in Colorado, a number of people participated in a peaceful walk and gathering on Pearl Street here in Boulder.
01:28It is a place where a lot of people gather every day.
01:33And the ones who join in this peaceful gathering are now the victims of a senseless, unjustified, and horrific mass attack.
01:41And to all the victims, their loved ones, and to this community, I promise you that each one of us up here today will work tirelessly to ensure that justice is done and the defendant is held fully accountable.
01:55I want to recognize, as the U.S. Attorney did, the response by community members who helped in the minutes immediately following the attack and came to render aid to victims who had suffered through a horrific attack upon them.
02:10Also, I want to recognize the courage and the rapid response by the Boulder Police Department, who once again were called to respond to a truly horrific attack upon innocent members of our community and responded without a second of delay.
02:26I will highlight for you that there were 16 unused Molotov cocktails that were recovered by law enforcement in the hours after the incident took place.
02:37It was 16.
02:38So I really want to thank the Boulder Police Department and their law enforcement responders, as well as the first responders who provided medical aid to the victims.
02:47But that rapid response with the recovery of the 16 unused Molotov cocktails, I think, speaks for itself.
02:54Our office and the U.S. Attorney's Office will be working closely together and in coordination with one another to ensure that the defendant is held fully accountable.
03:01As you heard from the U.S. Attorney, the U.S. Attorney's Office will be prosecuting the hate crime against the defendant.
03:08Our office will be prosecuting the attempted murder charges and related charges at the state level.
03:14This approach will accurately reflect the actions the defendant is alleged to have taken and the harms that he caused.
03:21It will allow us to secure a verdict, an outcome, a sentence, whereby he'll be held fully accountable.
03:29It's been done, and by it I mean federal and state prosecutions jointly.
03:33It has been done in other cases, most recently the Club Q mass shooting down in Colorado Springs.
03:38At the time the arrest affidavit and warrant were filed with the state court yesterday, there were eight victims identified.
03:46And I'll touch briefly now on the charges that were filed at the state level, as well as the possible sentences he faces, if convicted, on those charges.
03:54So there were 16 counts of attempted murder in the first degree.
03:58Eight of those counts are for attempted murder with intent and after deliberation.
04:03The other eight counts are for attempted murder with extreme indifference, so 16 counts total.
04:11If the defendant's convicted and those counts are running consecutive to one another, he would face a maximum of 384 years in state prison.
04:20He's also charged with two counts of use of an incendiary device.
04:24If convicted of those charges and they run consecutive, he would face a maximum sentence of 48 years.
04:30He's also charged with 16 other counts of attempted use of an incendiary device.
04:36And again, if convicted and if they run consecutive, the maximum on those counts would be 192 years.
04:43So 384 years on the attempted murder, 48 on the use of the Molotov cocktails, and then the attempted use would be 192 years.
04:52The judge set a $10 million cash-only bond on the state charges.
04:57As you are aware, he's going to be going before the judge this afternoon at the jail.
05:02I believe that is scheduled for 3.30, but I rely on the sheriff's office to communicate with members of the media at the exact time.
05:10Thanks to the investigation by federal, state, and local partners, and I just want to highlight for you, this is a horrific attack.
05:17But as district attorney, when I walk into this building and I see the FBI, Boulder PD, and all the law enforcement partners working, it's the exact response I hope to see.
05:28The teamwork they demonstrate, the work they put into it, if you were downstairs right now, you'd see incredible law enforcement officers and investigators working calmly, professionally, and tirelessly to ensure we get all the information we need to get the right outcome in the criminal cases that the U.S. attorney's office and my office will prosecute.
05:45Through their work, we've now identified four additional victims, so there's now a total of 12 victims, and as you'll hear from the FBI special agent in charge, we're going to continue to encourage victims and witnesses to come forward and contact law enforcement.
05:59But we now have 12 victims, and later this week, we'll be filing formal charges against him.
06:07That's our normal process, so the filing of formal charges by the district attorney's office will reflect 12 victims, and if more come forward, additional victims as well.
06:16On my final note, what I want to stress is, this community has experienced too many tragedies, fires, floods, and mass attacks.
06:30But each time I've seen this great community respond with strength, resilience, and support for one another, I trust and hope that that will happen again now.
06:42That for the many members of the community who have come forward before, to help one another, to support one another, to comfort one another, that that will happen again today and in the weeks, months going forward.
06:56That once again, our community will rally to restore peace, and to bring support, and comfort one another during this dark hour.
07:06As your district attorney, I want to remind the members of the media and the community that the defendant's innocent unless and until proven guilty, and the charges are merely allegations.
07:14I'm going to turn it over to the special agent in charge.
