Vail, Colo., police chief says 1 killed, 3 injured in shooting at bar near ski resort town

Associated Press

Last update: November 8, 2009 - 5:09 AM

VAIL, Colo. - Gunfire erupted inside a bar near the ski town of Vail Saturday night, leaving one man dead and three others wounded, police said. A 63-year-old suspect was quickly arrested.

Police said the shooting began about 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Sandbar Sports Grill, a popular bar that can hold more than 200 people.

There were about a dozen customers in the bar when a man started acting "irate" and was bothering customers, Steve Corr of Gypsum told the Vail Daily newspaper.

He said employees were escorting the man out of the bar when the man pulled out of gun just as he was out of the bar's door.

"I saw a gun, and he fired it off," Corr said. "It looked like he hit at least one. Everybody scattered, pretty much."

Other witnesses said he then re-entered and fired several more shots, about 10 in all.

Authorities identified the suspect as Richard Moreau, 63. He was being held in the town jail.

Moreau, a longtime Vail resident, told the Vail Daily in a 2006 interview that he has suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder since 1979 after serving two tours of duty in Vietnam in the late '60s. He said he is a New Hampshire native, moved to Vail in 1970 and skis more than 150 days a year.

The dead man was from Carbondale, police said. Injured were three men from Vail, ages 25, 29 and 63. All were taken to Vail Valley Medical Center. Two were in surgery late Saturday, and one was treated and released.

John Aloe told The Denver Post that he was sitting in the bar watching a televised football game when said he heard sounds that he thought "was fireworks."

Then people starting rushing toward the back door and Aloe said from the look on their faces, he knew something serious was happening.

Witnesses had gathered Saturday night at a nearby restaurant where they were being interviewed by two victims advocates.

Recent Nation stories

Movin' up? Nope, young adults moving back in with mom and dad as job prospects dwindle - November 8, 2009

Movin' up? Nope, young adults moving back in with mom and dad as job prospects dwindle - Faced with limited job options, many young adults are turning to an old standby to weather the recession: moving back in with mom and dad. More