A Colorado man recorded his own murder using a cellphone, leaving behind chilling evidence that investigators used to help nab the suspect, KMGH-TV reports.
Gary D. Dolce, 63, was gunned down earlier this week in Colorado Springs by his 53-year-old neighbor, James W. Hanlon. The shooting happened at about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday after Hanlon was cited for having a dangerous animal, which Hanlon suspected was the result of a complaint from Dolce.
It was not a new dispute. Dolce told police in February that Hanlon “was trying to get him to fight and that there were ongoing issues with the neighbor,” according to court records.
As Hanlon was receiving the citation on Wednesday, he told a humane society employee multiple times that Dolce “needs his ass kicked.”
“We’re just gonna kick his ass, that’s all we’re gonna do. Next time I see him I’ll just kick his ass,” Hanlon reportedly said. “I guarantee you once he gets his ass kicked, that will be the end of it.”
Hanlon was cited at 5:38 p.m. and the shooting was reported less than an hour later, at 6:22 p.m.
One witness — a woman who was driving at the time of the incident — said she heard gunshots and began looking around. That’s when she saw a man exit his vehicle, walk toward someone on the ground, and shoot that person in the head. She called 911.
When emergency crews responded to the scene, they observed that Dolce had multiple gunshot wounds and determined he was already dead.
One of the medical technicians then found a cellphone on the ground near Dolce and saw that it was still recording. The technician stopped the recording and played the video, which showed a man in a blue sports-utility vehicle yell “you f***ing idiot” and fire four shots with a handgun.
Police later learned of the dispute between Hanlon and Dolce and determined that Hanlon’s vehicle matched the one in the video.
Investigators believe Hanlon was also wearing disposable rubber gloves when he fired the gun.
An affidavit of the encounter states, “Mr. Hanlon says to Mr. Dolce, ‘You’re stupid’ to which Mr. Dolce replies, ‘Say again?’ Mr. Hanlon says ‘You’re stupid,’ and points a handgun at Mr. Dolce and fires multiple times.”
Dolce was screaming after he was shot. While he was on the ground, the video shows the gun coming back into view as further shots are fired. Audio of a vehicle leaving the scene can then be heard in the recording.
Hanlon fled the scene, but he turned himself in to police Friday evening in the Denver area.
Dolce was the father of two children and had been a local musician in the Colorado Springs area.
To report information about the case, call 719-444-7000 or Crime Stoppers at 719-634-STOP.
[Feature Photo: James W. Hanlon/Colorado Springs Police Department]
