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On Wednesday, April 19, 20-year-old Alexa Bartell was killed after teenagers threw rocks at her car. On the day of the incident, Bartell was driving her vehicle when three minor suspects began tossing landscaping rocks at several cars in Colorado. After one of the rocks smashed through the windshield of Bartell's vehicle, it veered out of control and crashed into a field. The Sheriff's Office said she was killed due to the pelting attack, rather than by the crash.
Trigger warning: This article contains graphic mentions of violence. Readers' discretion is advised.
The three 18-year-olds suspected of throwing the rocks have been charged with murder in the incident. They were identified as Joseph Koenig, Nicholas “Mitch” Karol-Chik and Zachary Kwak. Authorities believe that they injured at least two other drivers by throwing rocks.
As per CBS, all three 18-year-olds are high school seniors. Joseph Koenig's father, Mark Koenig, was also arrested for attempting to stop officers from interrogating his son about Alexa Bartell's death.
Officials comment on the investigation into the death of Alexa Bartell
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office believes that the suspects were in a moving vehicle when they threw landscaping rocks at several cars. Investigators say that the teens were identified based on the black 2016 Chevy Silverado they were using during the incident. They also used undisclosed foreign evidence, as well as tipoffs from the public.
Authorities said they received at least 300 calls which helped them with the case. Officials have not confirmed which of the teens were driving.
In an official statement, Jacki Kelley, a spokeswoman for the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, said:
"These suspects went from place to place throwing large rocks through windshields of vehicles. We have not seen this before."
According to the Denver Post, one driver compared the sound of the rock against his van to a 'shotgun' blast. After attacking at least seven cars, the suspects threw a rock at Bartell's vehicle. The rock struck her and her car veered offroad, into a field. After she became unreachable, her friend used a GPS to locate her car. Upon arriving at the scene, the friend discovered that Alexa Bartell was already dead.
In a statement to press, Kelly commended the arrests of the three teens suspected of killing Alexa Bartell.
Kelley said:
"We have a safer community this morning because of it."
Bartell's family was scheduled to speak out about the victim's death, but the press conference was eventually canceled. USA Today noted that a memorial for Bartell has been set up on Indiana Street, where she died.
