A Denver architect with more than 20 years of experience has been arrested as a suspect in the shooting death of his girlfriend, an award-winning real estate broker.

Micah Kimball, 43, is being held on suspicion of first-degree murder in the shooting death of 43-year-old Michelle Jacobson, according to court documents.

Kimball is a partner and shareholder in TreanorHL, a national design firm providing architectural services with a downtown Denver office. Jacobson is a former New York City real estate broker who has served on Denver’s Art District on Santa Fe board of directors.

Just before midnight on Thursday, Sept. 26, Denver police responded to a 911 call of a domestic violence report at 53 S. Pennsylvania St., according to an arrest affidavit. Kimball also called 911 that night.

When officers arrived, they found Jacobson lying in bed, a handgun in her left hand, according to the affidavit. Jacobson’s name is redacted from the affidavit. The Denver Office of the Medical Examiner identified her on Tuesday as being taken by ambulance from the same South Pennsylvania block as the home to Denver Health Medical Center where she was pronounced dead.

An autopsy has been completed and the cause and manner of her death is “pending investigation,” the coroner’s office said.

A witness told investigators that a woman was heard screaming for help before officers arrived at the single-story home in the Speer neighborhood about a dozen blocks west of Denver Country Club.

The witness told homicide investigator John Meoni that she heard “loud banging, like someone hitting a wall, a male voice yelling and a female crying,” according to the affidavit.

The witness said she heard a woman screaming: “Ouch, please stop, you’re hurting me.”

Meoni, on the night of the shooting, advised Kimball of his Miranda rights and Kimball agreed to speak to investigators without an attorney present, according to the affidavit.

Kimball was arrested because of “inconsistencies” in his story to investigators, the affidavit said. He is being held without bond.

The architectural firm Kimball is part of described him as “an employee in good standing” with 15 years of experience at the company. Kimball’s resume, according to his website, includes work on the redesign of the Denver Nuggets’ 10,000-square-foot locker room, with massage and steam rooms, two hydrotherapy pools, a barber shop and an underwater treadmill. A registered architect in Kansas, Colorado and Missouri, Kimball graduated from the University of Kansas.

Jacobson studied residential design at The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale in Florida, according to her Facebook page. A Denver resident, she described her status as “being in a relationship with Micah Kimball.” She owned and operated Michelle Jacobson Properties.

“She was very much driven, she always went for the gusto,” said Jayme Miner, a friend and business associate of Jacobson’s.

Beyond real estate, Jacobson excelled at fundraisers, social events and parties, Miner said.

“She always tried to bring everything together, she always tried to do the best for people,” Miner said. “I met a lot of beautiful women through her, successful people.”

Miner said the couple met about 2 1/2 years ago through mutual friends. “He seemed to love her and adore her,” Miner said. “We’re a small circle of friends; it’s devastating and tragic.”