At least 10 people — including a suspected gunman — were wounded in a shooting early Tuesday that police believe may be connected to a drug deal that took place amid thousands of revelers amassed in downtown Denver, turning jubilant street celebrations of the Nuggets’ first NBA championship victory into chaos and bloodshed.
At least 20 shots were fired from multiple guns near the intersection of Market and 20th streets as the crowds began to disperse, police said. Surveillance footage of the shooting shows the nearby crowd scattering as the more than 80 Denver police officers who had been standing in the intersection immediately chased after the suspects.
All 10 people wounded were expected to survive following a rapid emergency medical response that led to four concurrent surgeries, city officials said during a news conference. Five or six of the people wounded were innocent bystanders, Denver police Chief Ron Thomas said.
“I’m truly troubled to be here before you talking about these tragic events that occurred last night in downtown Denver, when instead we should be celebrating an NBA championship win by our Denver Nuggets,” Thomas said. “Sadly, though, because of this unnecessary instance of gun violence that occurred literally in the midst of thousands of community members who were peacefully celebrating, we have to put that aside right now.”
Five people remained hospitalized midday Tuesday in fair condition, Denver Health Medical Center chief surgeon Dr. Eric Campion said. Every patient who underwent surgery had serious, life-threatening injuries, he said. Nine of those wounded were men and one victim was a woman.
Police took two men into custody and recovered fentanyl pills, some of them packaged in bags, and five handguns. One of the suspects was wounded.
Ricardo Vasquez, 22, was caught running from the scene by police at Park Avenue and was arrested on charges of possession of controlled substances and possession of weapons as a previous offender. Raoul Jones, 33, was being held for possession of weapons by a previous offender, police said.
“We are still working to determine the motive. There appears to be a drug nexus,” Denver police major crimes division Cmdr. Matt Clark said.
Thousands of people had gathered in the Lower Downtown bar district about a mile north of Ball Arena, where the Denver Nuggets beat the Miami Heat on Monday night to win the NBA championship. Some of the revelers swung from stoplights shortly before midnight.
Fights broke out and shots were fired after the altercation involving several people near 20th and Market around 12:30 a.m., police spokesman Douglas Schepman said.
Thousands still were in that area celebrating, though crowd numbers had begun to decrease when the shooting began.
“I thought it was safe when I went out last night. We had all that armory that was out there, all the police officers, basically like a military guard,” downtown resident Scott Dangelo, 55, said in an interview Tuesday morning.
He was walking near concrete barriers beside police officers shortly after midnight, without his hearing aids in.
“I thought it was just more fireworks going off. The percussion kind of startled me… The police officers were dropping down on their knees. I’m live-streaming. Next thing I know the officers dive in and are pointing their weapons. They were pointing to where the shots were. A lady got shot, like, 10 feet away from me. Another person was struck. It was pretty crazy,” Dangelo said.
“I had an asthma attack because of all the gunpowder,” said Dangelo, who sometimes uses a respirator and who has lived downtown for years and experienced riots following the first Colorado Avalanche Stanley Cup victory and Denver Broncos Super Bowl victories.
“This was pretty, I don’t know how to put it into words. … The police officers were, like, diving down in front of me reaching for their weapons. I was trying to figure out what was going on. I thought they were pointing weapons at me. I thought they thought maybe I had a gun,” Dangelo said.
Dangelo saw bullet casings near where he crouched, shooting video and photos that police later asked him to share as evidence to help with their investigation.
“It was sad. … Something needs to be done,” he said. “I did not expect a major shooting with so many victims.”
Charlie Willeford came from Parker after the game to join the celebration downtown. He was near the intersection when the shots rang out.
“I was just around that area. Everyone was having a good time,” he said. “Next thing you know, we just heard continuous gunfire. Everyone sat still for quite a bit because there were a lot of fireworks before. Then the whole mood changed.”
People pushed each other as they fled and tripped over electric scooters. He later saw a bleeding man being carried by police.
“It just sucks — it was supposed to be a good night,” he said. “Everyone was being peaceful. Just a couple of people messed it up.”
The morning after the shooting, stains that appeared to be blood still were spread across the sidewalk along Market Street between 20th and 21st streets. Spilled food, broken glass bottles and abandoned scooters littered the sidewalks in the area.
A power washer could be seen cleaning off a patio table in front of ViewHouse, directly across the street from the largest blood spatter, and crews from the Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure were repairing the street poles at the intersection of 20th and Market, replacing signs and lights after people climbed on them during the celebrations.
Down the street near Market and 19th Street, more stains that appeared to be blood covered the sidewalk.
Before the shooting, Denver police, anticipating possible post-game trouble, “had staffed up significantly,” Schepman said. In the crowd near 20th and Market, he said, police were dispersing “small fights” before the gunfire.
Thomas said careful planning made a difference.
“What we couldn’t have planned for was a drug deal right in the middle of the celebration,” he said.
“We were steps away from this incident so our mere presence didn’t stop this incident from occurring,” he added later.
Other incidents reported nearby downtown overnight included smashing out vehicle windows and a separate shooting on Tremont Street, which left a man hospitalized. Police were investigating the circumstances that led up to that shooting. Denver City Clerk Paul Lopez said in a posting on Twitter that his offices in the city’s Webb building were damaged.
Denver Public Safety Director Armando Saldate lauded police officers who, on video surveillance showing the shooting, can be seen running “without hesitation” toward victims, “rendering care immediately — life-saving care.” Saldate, Thomas and other city officials were in a police command center and watched the incident play out live on video feeds.
According to the nonprofit Gun Violence Archive, there have been 291 mass shootings in the United States so far this year. Gun violence deaths overall had reached 19,161, the archive data drawn from law enforcement agencies showed.
Multiple shootings have taken place near the intersection over the last several years. Thomas said “a lot of violent incidents” had occurred in the Lower Downtown nightlife district.
“There is certainly the potential for danger any time there is a large gathering,” Thomas said. “There are far too many guns in our community today. … I know there was celebratory gunfire throughout the city.”
In Denver, a parade is planned for Thursday morning downtown featuring Nuggets basketball players on floats. City officials said residents should feel safe attending the parade and there will be a significant police presence along the route.
“It’s our intention that it will be a very safe event,” Saldate said. “I will have my own family there so I hope it will be a very safe event for all.”
