DENVER, Colorado (AP) -- The gunman shot to death outside the Colorado governor's office has been identified as Aaron Snyder, described by neighbors as quiet and kind but also as "not well."
The 32-year-old man lived with his parents and held a variety of jobs while attending college.
On Monday, police say, Snyder was shot to death by a state trooper at the Capitol building.
Investigators have not determined why he went to the Capitol with a loaded .357-caliber pistol and a knife and declared, "I am the emperor and I'm here to take over state government."
"It appears to be some type of mental problem," Denver Police Chief Gerry Whitman said without elaborating. He said he did not know whether Snyder was on medication or getting treatment.
Snyder had been escorted out of Gov. Bill Ritter's office Monday when he pulled back his coat to reveal the handgun and moved toward a state trooper, Whitman said. Snyder did not draw the weapon but ignored two warnings that the trooper would fire if he did not stop.
Trooper Jay Hemphill, a 12-year member of the state patrol, shot Snyder twice in the chest and once in the head, officials said.
"The trooper did exactly what he was trained to do to protect himself," Whitman said.
Ritter was inside the office and heard the shots. No one besides the gunman was hurt.
The Capitol had been equipped with metal detectors after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, but they were removed the following summer over concerns they were too much of an obstacle to Coloradans who want to visit.
One metal detector was returned Monday night as a temporary measure. On Tuesday, a half-dozen state troopers and Capitol guards watched over visitors and workers as they filed through it.
Ritter and lawmakers said they want the public to have easy access to the Capitol, but they conceded that stiff security measures may be in store. "Listen, we understand it makes us feel very unsafe when an event like that happens," Ritter said. "We will revisit building security and we will do so in a thoughtful and a prudent way."
Police briefly entered the home of Snyder's parents, Richard and Kathie Snyder, on Monday night and spent two hours searching the home on Tuesday. They left with at least three cardboard boxes and several large paper bags.
Neighbor Mary Annunziato described Aaron Snyder as kind and loving but said he "was not well." She declined to elaborate on his condition.
"Aaron, he never exhibited any aggressive behavior. He was kind, I would almost say docile," Annunziato said.
Another neighbor, Doug Egge, described Snyder as a "nice kid" who was quiet and reserved.
He recalled seeing Snyder walk up and down the street smoking cigarettes. Sometimes he would smile, but "other times it was like he was in his own little world," Egge said.
Snyder was working as an intern for Advanced Engery in Fort Collins. Police there said he told a co-worker in an e-mail Monday that God made him "the emperor, the sovereign ruler of this nation."
"God has bestowed this honor on me. Today is the appointed day in which God has chosen for me to begin my reign," the e-mail read.
About three hours before he was shot, Snyder had gone to a suburban shop with a gun and knife in his pockets, rented a tuxedo and told a woman it was "the day of the emperor's reign," Northglenn police said.
Advanced Energy said Snyder had worked there for two months. The company issued a statement offering sympathy to Snyder's family but declining to give any specifics about Snyder or his work.
Snyder attended Colorado State University in Fort Collins off and on for 14 years starting in 1992, CSU spokeswoman Dell Rae Moellenberg said. He received a bachelor's degree in 2005 and took master's degree classes in fall 2006 but had not been enrolled since then, she said.
Trooper Hemphill, 35, is on paid administrative leave while police investigate whether the shooting was justified, officials said.
advertisement
"He has a very stellar track record, never been in trouble. He's performed at a high level," Master Trooper Ron Watkins said.
Troopers in the governor's security detail receive extra training from the FBI, State Department and Secret Service in protecting dignitaries, detecting bombs and other areas, he said.
