DENVER – Two men are dead and a woman is in critical condition following a shooting in the parking lot area of an east Denver business early Sunday morning.
Denver Police Department officers went to the Quality Auto Sound shop on Leetsdale Drive near the intersection of South Niagara Street after receiving a call of a shooting at around 3:27 a.m.
Alert: #DPD is in the area of Leetsdale Dr/S Monaco Pkwy on a shooting. Large police presence in the area. Additional information as available. pic.twitter.com/2Yv5S8Al5V
— Denver Police Dept. (@DenverPolice) January 28, 2018
Once at the scene, an adult male was pronounced dead. Pictures from the scene showed a white tent covering a body in the parking lot right outside the business and dozens of blue evidence markers scattered across the road on Leetsdale Drive.
Two other victims — a man and a woman — were taken to a hospital for treatment. At around 12:49 p.m., police said one of the two victims injured in the shooting had died.
UPDATE on Leetsdale Dr. shooting: A 2nd victim (adult male) has been pronounced deceased. The 3rd victim (adult female) is in critical condition. Shooting appears to be an isolated incident. Leetsdale Dr. remains closed and the investigation is ongoing. https://t.co/eFSKtYc67p
— Denver Police Dept. (@DenverPolice) January 28, 2018
The identities of all three has not been released.
The shooting was the result of a verbal altercation between a group of people which escalated when someone pulled out a gun and started shooting, hitting the two men and the woman, according to DPD spokesman Doug Schepman.
The three victims were attending a late night event at a former strip mall, according to police.
Information about a possible suspect, as well as a motive for the shooting has also not been released by investigators, though police are investigating whether the shooting was gang-related, according to DPD spokesman Sonny Jackson.
Leetsdale was closed both directions from Monaco Parkway to Oneida Street well into the afternoon as investigators combed the scene of the crime.
If you know anything about this shooting, you are asked to call (720) 913-7867.
The map below gives you a general location of where police are conducting the homicide investigation.