Colorado State Football Player Held at Gunpoint by Man Thinking He Was With Antifa

A Colorado State football player and his coworker were held at gunpoint by a man who thought they were members of the activist group Antifa.

Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports

A Colorado State football player working for a roofing company was ordered to the ground and held at gunpoint on Thursday by a man who thought he and his coworker were members of the activist group Antifa, according to 9News.

Loveland (Colo.) Police Lieutenant Bob Shaffer confirmed to 9News that Scott Gudmundsen called the police saying two men wearing masks were walking around his neighborhood. The 65-year-old told authorities he was armed and planned to confront them.

Police arrived to find Gudmundsen armed with two weapons and dressed in fatigues while holding two men on the ground at gunpoint. 

According to Larimer County Jail records, Gudmundsen was booked Thursday evening on suspicion of two counts of felony menacing and two counts of false imprisonment.

Police did not identify the two victims, who were canvassing the neighborhood because of recent hail storms. They were dressed in blue polo shirts featuring the roofing company's name, shorts, tennis shoes and white face masks. 

Colorado State has not confirmed the identity of the football player but sent a letter to CSU students on Friday night to address the incident. 

"Our student is a young man of color, while the perpetrator is white. Regardless of what investigators learn or reasons the perpetrator gives, we know this: Our student got up Thursday morning, worked out with his team, then showered, dressed, and went to work," said the letter, which was obtained by 9News. 

"Hours later, he was facing a stranger with a gun and hearing police sirens that had been inexplicably called on him. Given what we have seen happening in cities across this county, we know all too well that this encounter could have proceeded very differently."

The letter was signed by Colorado State President Joyce McConnell, athletic director Joe Parker and football coach Steve Addazio. 

Shaffer told 9News that both men were "rattled" after the incident, and CSU confirmed the football player and his co-worker are "physically unharmed and safe." 

"Mentally and emotionally, the student and his family are drawing on tremendous reserves of resilience, but nonetheless recognize that this was a horrific experience. CSU Athletics, the Division of Student Affairs, and the Office of the President are working together to ensure that the student has all the resources he needs, both now and in the months to come," the letter said.

"As a university and as a community, CSU is avowedly anti-racist and anti-violence. We are appalled at this expression of violence and hate visited upon one of our students. We condemn racism in all its forms and expressions and are working to build an equitable, anti-racist community that can be a model for others."

Gudmundsen's son emailed 9NEWS and apologized for his father's action. He said his father is currently undergoing treatment at a mental health facility.