Father: Tattoo Artist Alicia Cardenas Was Among 6 Killed In Shooting Spree In Denver & Lakewood
LAKEWOOD, Colo. (CBS4) - A crime spree that started with deadly shootings in Denver Monday didn't end until six people were killed, including the suspect. On Tuesday, a mourning father visited a growing memorial outside Sol Tribe Tattoo, telling CBS4 that one of the victims was his daughter, Alicia Cardenas.
Cardenas, 44, was the owner of Sol Tribe Tattoo, her father said. The website says she opened the business with shop manager Kevin Strawbridge from the Twisted Sol location in Denver's Capital Hill.
"If the person walked in and started hassling the help, she would have been right up front," Alfredo Cardenas said. "She'd have been right there, I'm sure that's what happened."
According to the Sol Tribe website:
"Alicia Cardenas is a true Denver Native—a proud Indigenous artist born and raised in the city who's been working in the Denver body modification industry for nearly her entire life. She began working and apprenticing at Bound By Design in 1994 at the age of 16 and began piercing there professionally a year later. In 1997, she opened her first shop, Twisted Sol—Denver's first custom tattoo and professional body piercing studio. She began her journey as a tattooer—in addition to her already extensive knowledge of body modification—in 2008, and in 2009, after twelve glorious years at Twisted Sol's Cap Hill location, she and longtime shop manager Kevin Strawbridge moved down to Broadway to open Sol Tribe."
He says his daughter leaves behind a young daughter and will be greatly missed.
"She affected a huge, huge segment of the Denver community."
She not only owned the tattoo shop, but created several murals around Denver, her father told CBS4.
None of the victims in Monday's crime spree have been officially identified by authorities.
Lakewood police say they first received a call about shots fired at Colfax Ave. and Kipling St. at around 6 p.m. on Monday. One person died at that scene. Police had a section of a parking lot in front of a liquor store, tattoo parlor and Thai restaurant taped off.
Police officials say they gathered information about the suspect vehicle.
Officers found that suspect vehicle in the Belmar area, and when they tried to approach the suspect, they shot at officers who shot back at the suspect. The suspect was able to get away on foot.
There was also heavy police presence at Alaska Drive and Vance Street. Police say the suspect committed "felony menacing" at one store while armed.
Then the suspect went inside the Hyatt House hotel on Alaska Drive. The suspect allegedly shot and killed one person inside the hotel.
Officers then confronted the suspect again outside of the hotel, and the suspect reportedly shot at them, hitting one officer. The officer is in surgery in unknown condition.
The suspect died at that scene. Lakewood police officials say they do not know if they died by officers' gunfire.
On Tuesday, police identified the shooting suspect.
#BREAKING: Police say Lyndon McLeod is the suspect in the Denver-Lakewood shooting spree that left five people dead. The 5th victim is a hotel clerk from Hyatt House hotel in Lakewood. She died from her injuries this afternoon. https://t.co/7IsGU4Xkbw
— Mekialaya White (@Mekialaya) December 28, 2021