DENVER — The family of a man who was seriously injured in a triple shooting near Denver's Union Station said he was harassed by the teens before shots rang out. The 16-year-old suspect has been arrested.
As Denver7 reported on Aug. 13, officers with the Denver Police Department were dispatched to the area of 16th and Wynkoop streets for reports of a shooting just after 5:30 p.m. At the scene, officers found three injured men who were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
One of those men was 42-year-old Alex Villafuerte.
Family members said Villafuerte, who uses the train station to commute to Littleton every day, was approached by a group of teens who began harassing him over his hat.
"What [Alex] said was he was just walking his normal route because he said the altercation started a block away from Union Station, so he was already getting off his bus and heading to Union Station to catch the train. That's where one of the females in the group said, 'I would like his hat. I want his hat'", said Jennifer Servantes, Villafuerte's ex-wife.
The argument quickly escalated, and one of the teens pulled out a gun and shot Alex on his side, his family said. That teen, identified as 16-year-old Cyrus Haggard, was arrested the following day. He is being charged as an adult on three counts of attempted murder.
Crime
DPD: Juvenile arrested in triple shooting involved in struggle with victim
His eldest daughter, Alyssa Villafuerte, said her father is home from the hospital, but still struggling emotionally.
"He's mentally not there. I know my dad ... I can see that he's not OK, and he acts like he's OK, and just hides it so he doesn't have to make me or anybody else worry," Alyssa told Denver7 Tuesday.
A preliminary investigation into the shooting revealed that the Haggard approached one of the victims for an unknown reason. After a brief struggle, the suspect fired shots, striking the first victim as well as two additional unrelated individuals who were behind him, according to a spokesperson with the Denver Police Department.
The officials said detectives were able to track Haggard down after obtaining a description of the juvenile from witnesses and reviewing surveillance video of the area.
Villafuerte's family believes all of the teens involved should be held accountable. Denver Police could not confirm if they are looking for additional suspects.
Denver
Community on edge after triple shooting near Denver's 16th Street Mall
"It's tiring. We're all scared. And it's just like, what has this world become?" added Alyssa.
She is helping raise money to purchase school supplies for her younger siblings since her father is still recovering.
"He was supposed to pay for my sibling's school supplies and ... sports stuff after school," she said. "I just want to do everything I can to help my siblings get their uniforms, school supplies, and all that other stuff."
Denver7 took concerns about safety downtown to Mayor Mike Johnston earlier this month. Hear what he had to say in the video below.
Denver7 is committed to making a difference in our community by standing up for what's right, listening, lending a helping hand and following through on promises. See that work in action, in the videos above.