DENVER — Trejon Hamilton, 24, is back home nearly two weeks after he was shot in Denver's Lower Downtown (LoDo) neighborhood.
Hamilton was one of 10 people who were injured after the Denver Nuggets clinched their first NBA championship on June 12.
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"Everything happened so fast. I didn't expect that at all,” he recalled.
After work, Hamilton and his girlfriend, Tina Pham, headed downtown for a rare night out to meet friends.
“We were just expecting to go out, have a good time with our friends and celebrate. We were not expecting anything like this to happen, especially with the amount of police presence there,” said Pham.
The shooting, first reported by Denver police just after midnight, happened in the 2000 block of Market Street where thousands of people had gathered. Investigators determined that the shooting was drug-related and not connected to the celebration.
“Literally we just see two large groups of people. They start fighting, and then out of nowhere, I see one [person] draw a gun and start shooting,” said Hamilton. "I began to run, but I don't know. Right away, something felt weird. I kind of touched my backside and felt nothing but blood. I saw my hand was bloody and was like, 'Oh, I think I got hit.'”
Hamilton was rushed to Denver Health, where he stayed for two weeks. He was released on Tuesday after undergoing four surgeries.
“The bullet went through my backside, but it was in my stomach. There was no exit wound at the time,” said Hamilton. “I honestly didn't know if I was going to make it because I didn't feel well, and it was hard for me to process everything and stay conscious.”
A nurse purchased Nuggets championship gear for Hamilton. He was also able to visit his friend Keith Sablan, who was also shot that night. Sablan is still recovering in the hospital.
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Hamilton is thankful to be home now with his girlfriend. He has a long road ahead, and is a few months away from being able to return to work, he believes.
“I’m just hoping with time, I’ll be able to get back to myself, be able to walk and get up without pain,” said Hamilton. "It didn't need to be right there. There were so many innocent bystanders just nearby."
One injured suspect, identified as Ricardo Miquel Vazquez, 22, was taken into custody a short distance away from the shooting. He was arrested for investigation of possession of a weapon by a previous offender and possession of a controlled substance.
Raoul Gottfried Jones, 33, was also taken into custody the night of the shooting. He was arrested for investigation of possession of a weapon by a previous offender.
Kenneth Blakely, 24, was arrested on June 23 for investigation of attempted first degree murder.
