Colorado Springs protest demands justice for Anthony Padilla – victim of vigilante violence
Colorado Springs, CO – Local organizers in Colorado Springs People’s Coalition (CSPC) stood together with the Padilla family at the Colorado Springs County Commissioners office to demand an investigation into the murder of Anthony Padilla and present a new piece of evidence in the case.
Between the Padilla family and members of CSPC, a dozen sat together in the front row waiting for public comment so they could step up and speak to the board of five county commissioners and demand that Anthony’s murderer, Kevin McCarthy, and the Sheriff’s deputies who assisted him, be jailed.
According to reports, on March 27, 2023, Anthony Padilla was kidnapped by his neighbor Kevin McCarthy in their apartment complex’s public laundromat. McCarthy filmed himself accusing Padilla of breaking in; when Padilla fled from the laundromat, McCarthy filmed himself chasing him outside and shooting at his back.
“Sergeant Jaworski and Deputy Yelton [were] called on the night of my son’s murder and left my son to suffer,” said Sherry Padilla, Anthony’s mother. Padilla was on the ground bleeding for six minutes after the deputies arrived before any deputy attempted aid. “These deputies contributed to the murder of my son and tried to hide it,” Sherry Padilla said. Padilla was eventually taken to a hospital and declared dead later that evening.
“The chief investigator for the Sheriff’s department kept telling us there was enough evidence to charge him,” explained Modesto Padilla, Anthony’s grandfather. The 4th Judicial District Attorney Michael Allen called a grand jury in October of 2023, and the jury refused to charge McCarthy, citing a lack of evidence. “[The chief investigator] came before us and told us that they hadn’t let her present any evidence,” said Modesto Padilla.
“There’s a saying you’ve probably heard: the grand jury will indict a ham sandwich if the district attorney wants them to. When they refuse to charge, it is because the district attorney does not want that conviction,” said Genevieve Richard, member of CSPC, “They did not see the video that [McCarthy] made of himself targeting, kidnapping and shooting Anthony Padilla. They did not see the bodycam footage of deputies Day and Yelton ignoring Anthony’s pleas for help.”
A new clip from a bodycam showing a deputy misidentifying and removing an alleged ball pump in a manilla envelope from the scene of the crime was presented to the board by Anthony Padilla’s younger brother Ian. “That ball pump is key evidence to Anthony’s case of being held against his will,” said Ian, “Colorado law also states that, caught in the act of tampering with evidence, you are charged as an accessory to the crime committed, and in the words of the district attorney to the family, it was second degree murder.”
Colorado Springs People’s Coalition and the family called on the Board of County Commissioners to commission an independent investigation into the shooting, the sheriff deputies’ complicity, and the District Attorney Michael Allen’s mishandling of the case. They further demanded Kevin McCarthy be charged with murder, and that the deputies be charged for their complicity in the murder.
“We call for Justice for Anthony!” exclaimed Richard of CSPC. The Board of County Commissioners responded that they do not have the power to open an investigation and left without talking to the family or CSPC. The family and CSPC members met afterwards to discuss the next steps in the fight for justice for Anthony Padilla.