LOVELAND, Colo. -- A man is dead after being found shot on a Loveland sidewalk late Wednesday night and the Loveland Police Department said a task force is investigating whether it's connected to two other random shootings in northern Colorado in the past six weeks.
"There are enough likenesses in this case that we reached out to the task force," Loveland Police Chief Luke Hecker said during a Thursday afternoon news conference.
Loveland police responded to East First Street and St. Louis Avenue just before 11 p.m. on a report of a man on the sidewalk who was bleeding.
Life-saving measures on the 65-year-old William Roger Connole Jr. of Loveland were unsuccessful. The Larimer County coroner said Connole died of a gunshot wound to the chest. The manner of death was homicide.
Police do not have a description of the suspect. Police said they are consulting with members of the task force to determine if there is a link to the shootings of a Milliken woman on Interstate 25 in April and a Windsor cyclist last month. Cori Romero was shot in the neck and she is recovering. John Jacoby was shot and killed while he rode his bike near Windsor.
Loveland police said during the news conference late Thursday afternoon that while Wednesday night's shooting has not been officially connected to the other two shootings, there were enough similarities for the possibility to be investigated.
Hecker reiterated that the FBI is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a suspect or suspects in this and the other two cases. He urged anyone with information to call Larimer County Crime Stoppers at 970--221-6868.
Hecker said there is an unprecedented amount of law enforcement resources being devoted to the investigation and apprehension of an apparent random shooter on the loose in northern Colorado. He was flanked by representatives from the FBI, and several other law enforcement agencies in northern Colorado. David Moore from the Larimer County Sheriff's Office has been assigned as lead public information for this task force.
The task force's investigation is headquartered in Windsor and it's operating 24 hours a day. Hecker warned that everyone in the community needs to be alert and vigilant.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Loveland Police Department at 970-962-2032.