In the early hours of Sunday, May 7, 2023, the sound of multiple gunshots shattered the predawn quiet in a parking lot off of Palmer Park Boulevard in Colorado Springs, Colorado. When the chaotic scene settled, a 20-year-old male, Ja’lyn Tyre Lagrue, was found deceased. His life was cut tragically short in an act of violence that also left an adult female with non-life-threatening gunshot wounds.
Another adult male later appeared at a local hospital, also seeking treatment for non-life-threatening gunshot injuries sustained in the same incident.
Colorado Springs Police officers were in the vicinity at approximately 1:34 a.m. and heard the shots ring out. They witnessed a dark-colored sedan fleeing the area and initiated a pursuit, which was later terminated. Upon returning to the parking lot, they discovered the tragic outcome of the shooting. The El Paso County Coroner's Office later completed an autopsy and officially identified the victim as Ja'lyn Tyre Lagrue, a resident of Colorado Springs. His death was investigated as a homicide, marking the 8th in the city for 2023.
The investigation into Lagrue's death moved swiftly. With information provided by numerous witnesses, detectives from the Violent Crimes Homicide Unit were able to narrow in on a suspect. On that same Sunday, they secured an arrest warrant for 21-year-old Donnell Chess, charging him with first-degree murder. The following day, Monday, May 8, 2023, detectives with the Violent Offender Fugitive Task Force located and arrested Chess without incident. Court records revealed that at the time of the alleged murder, Chess had several other open cases against him. He was ordered to be held in the El Paso County Jail without bond.
