Suspect sentenced for firing gun on University Hill

BOULDER, Colo. — A man who was shot and injured by police after firing a gun in the University Hill area in 2022 was sentenced Friday to community corrections.

Zakiyy Lucas, 24, pleaded guilty in August to attempted murder, disorderly conduct and possession of a defaced firearm, according to court documents.

Lucas was sentenced Friday to eight years in community corrections for the attempted murder count, 364 days in jail with credit for timed served for the disorderly conduct count, and 364 days in jail with credit for time served for the possession of a defaced firearm count.

“Mr. Lucas is a young man before the court on his first felony conviction,” Boulder Assistant District Attorney Ken Kupfner said in an email. “The attempted first-degree murder charge reflects the seriousness of discharging an AR-15 on the Hill when many people are in the area. Mr. Lucas spent over two years in the Boulder County jail since his arrest. That time counts towards his sentence. Mr. Lucas has recently taken advantage of jail programming and his behavior improved significantly. Defense counsel provided a compelling mitigation package detailing a trauma-filled childhood and life. Mr. Lucas has started the process of recognizing and addressing his treatment needs. This sentence will require him to continue to do so, while remaining supervised and closely monitored for the next several years.”

The shooting happened early in the morning of Oct. 2, 2022, near the 1200 block of Pennsylvania Avenue. According to an arrest affidavit, Lucas fired a shot toward people during a disturbance. A portion of the disturbance was caught on video.

A Boulder Police Department officer then fired at Lucas, prosecutors said. Lucas was shot in the arm.

Later that month, prosecutors determined the officer was justified in firing shots at Lucas.