An Iraqi refugee facing attempted murder charges in Colorado for shooting a police officer was set for deportation in 2016 until a court ruling freed him.
Karrar Noaman Al Khammasi left an officer with the Colorado Springs Police Department in critical condition following a shootout Thursday near the U.S. Olympic Training Center. An immigration judge previously ruled in June 2016 Al Khammasi be deported after violating probation terms stemming from a 2015 plea for felony trespassing, reports the Associated Press.
Al Khammasi was released from the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Nov. 7, 2016 after officials cited a ruling from the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals that determined certain immigration laws concerning violent crimes are unconstitutionally vague and open defendants up to unfair deportation. (RELATED: New York Murder Suspect Is Twice-Deported Illegal Alien Who Returned For A Third Time)
Officer Cem Duzel, a five-year veteran of the Colorado Springs Police Department, remains in “critical, but stable, condition” following the shooting.
It is unclear what prompted the shootout with police Thursday. Al Khammasi, who remains at UCHealth Memorial Hospital Central after being injured in the confrontation, was out on $1,000 bail for a weapons charge before the incident.
Al Khammasi first arrived in the U.S. from Turkey in May 2012 after being granted refugee status.
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