A Durango man accused of breaking into another man’s home and shooting him multiple times was formally charged Wednesday with attempted first-degree murder.
Troy Allen Brown, 34, appeared via closed-circuit video conferencing in 6th Judicial District Court for an advisement hearing. He is being held at the La Plata County Jail on $500,000 bail.
Brown is also charged with assault, burglary and two counts of being a habitual criminal, according to charging documents filed in District Court.
Brown is suspected of breaking into an apartment at the Red Cliff Apartments shortly after 12:45 a.m. Aug. 9 and shooting Thomas Jeffrey Mitchell, 52, multiple times with a handgun, according to court documents and the Durango Police Department.
Mitchell was flown to a Colorado Springs hospital with multiple gunshot wounds. In a brief interview 18 hours after the shooting, Mitchell said he was shot in the hand and in the back. He could not be reached Wednesday for an update on his condition.
Police have not revealed whether Brown knew Mitchell. But according to an arrest affidavit, Brown possibly made at least two comments in reference to Mitchell being a registered sex offender.
Mitchell is listed on a sex offender registry maintained by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, in which the public can search online.
Brown surrendered to police about 20 hours after the shooting. He was taken into custody in the 2700 block of East Animas Road (County Road 250), a short distance across the Animas River from where the shooting took place.
shane@durangoherald.com
