Girlfriend of man shot after Nuggets NBA Finals victory recalls gunfire, asks for help

Rebeca Barraza and her boyfriend went downtown Monday night to celebrate with the rest of the city after the Nuggets won their first NBA championship.

"I really thought since it was a day of celebration and it was the city coming together that no violence of that nature would have happened," she said. 

"We met up with so many of our friends there. It was just a huge party. Getting to know new people and seeing people do stupid things like hang off of the streetlights," she recalled. 

Rebeca says things were winding down and police were in the area when they decided to take a rest outside of the View House on 20th Avenue and Market Street. They saw a fight break out, but they were not expecting what would happen next. 

"I see a gun being pulled out. Sparks fly. I immediately fell backward behind a concrete slab to take cover and Keith didn't fall back in time," Barraza said.  

Police say it was a drug deal gone wrong as Keith was just an innocent bystander. He was shot twice and taken to the hospital where he is still in the ICU. 

His friend, Tim Burke, says it's a loss for Denver. 

"He's just generally a very well-rounded person and loved in the community," Burke said. 

The once active young man now had a long road to recovery ahead of him. 

While most people celebrated at the Nuggets victory parade Thursday, Burke was handing out flyers to fellow Nuggets fans to raise money for their friend and his family. 

They have an online fundraiser going but their next step is to find a restaurant or venue downtown to help them raise even more money. 

"To take that burden of the mounting medical debt and other things off of their shoulders," he expressed. 

They say Keith is in good spirits but not completely out of the woods by any means. As friends and family wish they could bring the old Keith back, they say this is the next best thing they can do for him. 

"I can't go in and fix his injuries, but I can be here to support him and his family," Burke said.