CU staffer who accidentally shot co-worker in Denver charged, fired

University Of Colorado-Denver Anschutz Medical Campus

DENVER – Charges have been filed against a former staffer at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical campus after she allegedly accidentally shot a co-worker Friday.

Mary Loeb, 49, faces charges of prohibited use of weapons and unlawful conduct on public property.

The Daily Camera reported she is a business manager at the School of Dental Medicine and is no longer employed by the university.

The Camera reported she accidentally fired a .22-caliber revolver as she was showing the gun to Lilibeth Lopez-Gonzales, 33. Loeb said she believed she was being followed and brought the gun because of neighborhood concerns and recent campus thefts.

Loeb dismantled the gun to show Lopez-Gonzales how it worked. As she was rebuilding it, the gun jammed and the gun discharged as she was trying to clear the jam. The bullet ricocheted off a filing cabinet and the carpet before hitting Lopez-Gonzales in the back of her leg, the newspaper reported.

Lopez-Gonzales was not seriously hurt and did not go to the hospital.

Police said Loeb has a concealed-carry permit.

CU has been in a battle to restrict guns on campuses and tried to ban them outright. In March, the state Supreme Court ruled the university overreached its authority and allowed people with concealed-carry permits to have a gun on campus property.