Karrar Al Khammasi.
Did this Syrian refugee from Iraq get lost on the way to Sweden or something?
What was he even doing in Colorado Springs?
An Iraqi refugee appears headed for trial in an Aug. 2 shooting that gravely wounded a Colorado Springs police officer.
A court-appointed attorney for Karrar Al Khammasi pleaded not guilty on his behalf, and a judge set a May 13 trial.
The defendant, who is accused of shooting officer Cem Duzel in the head, refused to come to previous court hearings, and although he was present in court on Friday, he seemed to continue his defiance.
Flanked by a half-dozen deputies, with the lower part of his face covered in a spit guard, Al Khammasi twice interrupted proceedings through his Arabic interpreter, asking the court to appoint him a new attorney and a new interpreter “through the Iraqi embassy.”
Fourth Judicial District Senior Judge Gilbert Martinez denied his requests, ordering that he continue to be represented by two Colorado Springs public defenders. Al Khammasi is charged with attempted murder of a police officer, assault with a deadly weapon, felony menacing and illegal possession of a weapon.
Duzel remains in rehabilitation at Craig Hospital in Englewood, which specializes in treating brain trauma, prosecutors said.
Cem Duzel.