Reverse drive-by lands man in jail

A reverse drive-by shooting in Aspen’s tony West End resulted in the arrest of a 20-year-old local man.

Evan Klein, 20, was charged with allegedly firing a gun out of the house at 831 W. Bleeker St. at a Jeep Cherokee driven by two teenage boys on Friday night.

Aspen Police Department investigators discovered that a bullet had penetrated the front door on the driver’s side, but was stopped by the steel safety beam inside the door. No one was injured.

Det. Jim Crowley said it appears that Klein and the two boys, 16 and 17, don’t know one another. The circumstances leading up to the incident remain under investigation, and Crowley declined to say whether the boys in the Jeep are suspects.

Klein faces charges of first-degree assault, menacing and reckless endangerment. The assault and menacing charges are felonies; reckless endangerment is a misdemeanor.

Klein was released after posting a $5,250 bond.

Shootings of any kind are extremely rare in Aspen, said Crowley. And random shootings such as this are even more unheard of.

“I’ve been here 15 years, and I can’t think of one,” he said.

The gun was fired at about 10:30 p.m. Friday. The car was traveling on North Eighth Street. The answering machine at 831 W. Bleeker St. indicates that it is the home of Herb and Marsha Klein.

Crowley said the police department is looking for witnesses, and anyone with any information is asked to call 920-5400.