West Denver Asks For Resources As Gun Violence Leads To 3 Deaths In 1 Night
DENVER (CBS4) – Denver police are investigating two shootings that left three people dead. They happened within blocks of each other in the Federal Boulevard area on Sunday. Police say the shootings are not related.
Officers first responded just before 10 p.m. on the 600 block of S. Federal Blvd. near 6th Avenue and Federal. A woman was shot and killed. The suspect fled the scene. Police say there may have been an argument or fight before shots were fired.
Seven people were shot at another scene near Federal Boulevard and Alameda Avenue, at about 10:38 p.m. Two men died and the others were taken to the hospital with what were described as non-life threatening injuries.
In a public safety update Monday morning, city officials discussed the second shooting, as well as the rise in youth gun violence this year.
According to Chief Paul Pazen, the shooting happened when rival groups came in contact with each other during a Sunday night cruise on South Federal Boulevard, a celebration of Hispanic culture and cars that's been a tradition for decades.
"Settling disputes with firearms is never OK in our city," Pazen said. "It's not OK, we cannot tolerate it and we must work together in order to address it."
The shooting comes several days after the city of Denver said it would target large gatherings on South Federal Boulevard due to increased illegal activity and COVID-19 concerns.
"Gatherings on South Federal are truly something that has taken place and taken place in a very peaceful way historically," Pazen said. "This is part of the culture and the fabric of Denver and we've been able to do this without the types of violence that we've seen recently like last night."
On Monday, Mayor Michael Hancock urged people to consider staying home from these gatherings "until the peace returns," and Pazen said his department will work with the community and neighborhood leaders to keep the area safe.
"If you don't give us resources, what do you expect? Help us help the community," said Greg Ziemba, who has lived in West Denver for a large part of his life. "You can't just say, community come together and help yourselves. Give us resources, we're trying."
Sunday's two shootings continue the alarming trend of violence in Denver this year. On Monday, Pazen specifically called youth violence a "public health emergency," where low level disputes are now turning into high level violence because of the presence of guns.
"We truly do have a crisis on our hands with young people gaining access to firearms," Pazen said. "This is something we are focused on. We have taken more than 1,000 illegal guns off the streets, however we have had a 25% increase in stolen guns."
Denver police are asking anyone with information about the shootings that might be helpful to their investigations to contact them. The public is encouraged to call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-STOP. You can submit tips anonymously.
