A man identified by sources as the suspect in Thursday night's deadly shooting on an RTD bus in Lakewood was under state parole supervision at the time. Agent Nicholas Graham, 33, was killed in the shooting near West Colfax Avenue and Wadsworth Boulevard. Three other agents and a bystander were also injured.
Lakewood police said the encounter began after a suspect in an earlier hit-and-run was seen boarding the bus. An agent identified the suspect and requested backup, according to police spokesperson John Romero. Several agents responded and approached the man aboard the bus, where police said he immediately opened fire. The agents returned fire, killing him.
Sources identified the suspect to Denver7 Investigates as Gabriel Steven Garcia, 34. Colorado Bureau of Investigation records reviewed by the outlet documented a criminal history extending across the Denver metropolitan area, including the City and County of Denver and Jefferson, Arapahoe and Adams counties.
Those records showed Garcia pleaded guilty to felony assault in 2017 and began serving a 10-year prison sentence. By 2023, he was out of prison and facing new charges. His more recent history included parole for felony trespassing and an arrest by Broomfield police on a warrant less than six weeks before the shooting.
The Colorado Department of Corrections confirmed that Garcia had been released to mandatory parole supervision on September 23, 2026. A department spokesperson said its Division of Adult Parole was supervising him when the shooting occurred.
According to the department, Garcia was sentenced in Adams County on April 22, 2026, for first-degree criminal trespass of an inhabited dwelling. The sentence called for one year in Department of Corrections custody, followed by one year of mandatory parole. He received credit for 149 days spent in confinement before sentencing.
As the community mourned Graham, Lakewood Police Chief Philip Smith paid tribute to the agent's service. Smith said the department would honor Nicholas Allen Graham by remembering the compassion, professionalism and commitment he brought to serving the people of Lakewood.
“We are grateful for his life, proud of his service, and committed to standing beside you in the difficult days ahead,” Smith said in his statement following Graham's death.
