GREELEY, Colo. — A man who was recently released from jail after he was found incompetent to stand trial — sparking a war of words between Colorado’s governor and Weld County’s district attorney — was allegedly seen Tuesday on the University of Northern Colorado’s campus with a firearm.
UNC campus police sent out a safety alert early Wednesday morning stating that Debisa Ephraim, 21, was seen at the Arlington Apartments on campus and had an AR-15-style rifle, according to an arrest warrant obtained by Denver7 Investigates.
Ephraim was arrested Wednesday afternoon by UNC police with the assistance of the Greeley Police Department and the Weld County Sheriff's Office for unlawful possession of a weapon on school grounds and trespassing.
***WCSO Press Release***
— Weld County Sheriff (@WeldSheriff) September 25, 2025
Ephraim Debisa returns to jail on UNC Police warrant
[WELD COUNTY, Colo.] Today, Ephraim Debisa, 21, was arrested again by the Greeley Police Dept. with the help of the Weld County Sheriff’s Office STRIKE team. Debisa was arrested on a warrant issued… pic.twitter.com/yWgtFToqUx
According to the arrest warrant, an anonymous report filed with UNC PD included a video that showed Ephraim pointing a gun at the camera. The alert sent to students noted that police believed Ephraim to be dangerous and had had multiple run-ins with campus police over the past few years, although he is not affiliated with the university.
Ephraim was banned from campus due to previous incidents dating back to 2021.
Denver7 Investigates
CO sheriff says he was forced to release 'dangerous' man due to competency laws
Earlier this month, Ephraim was released from the Weld County Jail after multiple charges, including attempted murder, were dropped after he was found incompetent to stand trial and not restorable. Those charges were related to fights that occurred in April.
“I knew it was a matter of time before he tried to do something violent again,” said Griselda, the sister of one of the victims in Ephraim's April cases. She asked that Denver7 Investigates not publish her last name out of concern for her safety. “What I am shocked about is the magnitude of what could have happened with this incident.
On campus, Denver7 Investigates spoke with students who were alarmed by the alert they had received that morning about a potentially armed and dangerous man on campus.
"In today's day and age, it's not surprising that someone came on campus with a weapon. It's just surprising that it happened here in such a small community,” said sophomore Jayna Palmquist, who lives in the apartments where Ephraim was allegedly spotted.
Last year, there was a change in Colorado competency law that now mandates judges to dismiss cases against suspects found incompetent and not restorable to stand trial. Before that change, the law stated that a judge “may” dismiss the case.
Denver7 Investigates has spent a year digging into the complexity of competency law in Colorado and highlighted several cases.
“It’s the reality of what happens when bad policy is turned into bad legislation,” Weld County Sheriff Steve Reams told Denver7 Investigates earlier this month after Ephraim was released from the Weld County Jail.
Following the news of Ephraim's arrest, Sheriff Reams issued a statement, saying, "I knew this would happen. I am glad no one was hurt."
Read our previous coverage below:
- Change to Colorado mental health law sparks issues with 2022 stabbing case in Lakewood
- Complexity of Competency: How state doctor decided a man is unfit to stand trial after fatal crash
- JeffCo judge drops charges against man accused of killing two women in 2021 drunk driving crash
- Charges officially dropped against attempted kidnapping suspect after competency finding
- Mental health competency in Colorado: Arapahoe Co. DA speaks with Denver7 after blowback over dropped charges
- Weld County sheriff says he was forced to release 'dangerous' man due to state's competency laws
- Congressional Republicans push Polis for second special session to address Colorado's competency law
After news of Ephraim’s release broke, Gov. Jared Polis responded to a post on X from Elon Musk about the story, saying that it was “unacceptable” that Ephraim was released and called on the county attorney and district attorney to use state law to keep him in custody. Weld County District Attorney Michael Roarke fired back the next day, saying that the law did not permit what the governor was requesting.
“Our office and the county attorney's office very quickly determined that those provisions of state law do not allow for keeping this individual in custody. Period. End of story,” Roarke said at a Sept. 10 press conference.
In a statement Wednesday, Polis said, “I am relieved this individual is in custody and want to thank the local law enforcement who apprehended Mr. Ephraim, who has demonstrated that he is a danger to himself and others. The state shared information and engaged with local and federal law enforcement in Colorado and was ready to support prior to this individual being taken into custody.”
Colorado State Sen. Judy Amabile (D-Boulder), a main sponsor of House Bill 24-1034, which changed the competency law, said she and other legislators are working on changes to legislation to address problems. However, she said Ephraim's situation is not solely due to the 2024 law change, as he's had legal issues dating back years.
“This young man has been released repeatedly for many years," she said. "So saying that this is the result of a bill is completely inaccurate. It is the result of us not having an adequate civil mental health care system.”
