A young woman was killed in Colorado while walking her dog together with her boyfriend Wednesday afternoon. Her family and friends lit candles and held each other tight Thursday evening as they remembered the 21-year-old Denver woman.
Isabella Thallas was shot and killed in Denver’s Ballpark neighborhood, police said. She just celebrated her 21st birthday earlier this week.
Clothing designer and Thallas’s boyfriend, 26-year-old Darian Simon, was together with her when the couple was assaulted and shot by 36-year-old Michael Close. Responding officers found Thallas dead at the scene.
Close was arrested shortly after the shooting incident in a nearby small town. He has been charged with first-degree murder as well as aggravated assault. He is being held without bond until his next court appearance. It is unclear if he has an attorney that could speak on his behalf, ABC7 reported.
Simon told responding officers Close opened an argument that day with how they commanded their dog to poop. The suspect yelled at the couple from inside his apartment, asking if they were going to train the dog or just yell at the dog, according to the probable cause affidavit.
The couple at first ignored his yelling, but then Simon saw the man point a gun at them, firing multiple shots, according to the cause affidavit. Simon was hospitalized with multiple gunshot wounds in the lower part of his body.
“In summary, the suspect got into a verbal altercation with the victims related to the victims telling the dog to poop,” according to the affidavit. “The suspect then shot the victims from inside his apartment.”
Close did not have any previous arrest warrants in Colorado, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation said in their background check. Officials found a pistol grip rifle and a handgun inside his car following his arrest, as well as a gun belt and firearm magazines.
A GoFundMe page was set up by friends and family to support the Thallas’s funeral and living expenses following the tragic incident. The page has nearly generated $50,000.
“Isabella Thallas and her boyfriend, Darian Simon, were taking their dog for a lunch time walk in downtown Denver. When a resident, Michael Close, shot at both Isabella and Darian,” the page reads.
“Isabella’s mom, Ana, has been on furlough and hasn’t been able to work,” the post continues. “A mother should never have to bury her child and especially for such a violent reason.”
Simon just started a clothing brand, and currently is the co-owner and co-founder of the brand: “Be a Good Person.”
‘Heartbroken’
During a candlelight vigil to remember Thallas Thursday evening, more than 100 people showed up.
“Our family would like to extend an invitation to all the lives that Isabella touched at a candlelight vigil,” the family wrote in the invitation, adding a picture of Thallas.
“She was young, vibrant, kind, loving, beautiful—on the outside and the inside,” the girl’s mother told ABC7. “She had the world in front of her.”
Simon also attended the vigil via FaceTime, while recovering from his wounds in the hospital. He told his mother he wanted to live for Thallas and share their future together.
Thallas was a high school graduate and currently studying finance and dreamed of someday becoming a mother, the outlet reported. The family said they are heartbroken she is not here anymore.
“We asked that you kindly respect our privacy and Isabella’s life by keeping this positive and loving,” the family wrote on Facebook.