DENVER — Neighbors who live near Paco Sánchez Park told Denver7 they are on edge following a Denver police shooting that left a man injured Monday night.
Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas said his officers responded to the area of W. 13th Avenue and Lowell Boulevard around 10:40 p.m. after receiving a ShotSpotter notification. ShotSpotter is technology that uses sensors pick up the percussion of a gunshot.
Thomas said responding officers located shell casings.
"So they began searching the area for suspects that may have been responsible for the gunfire that led them to Paco Sánchez Park, a park that has been known previously for shots being fired in the area," the police chief said.
Officers located four men in the park.
"They began to flee. At least one of them dropped a handgun. Another one produced a handgun, causing one of the officers to become in fear. That officer fired a number of shots, striking that individual," Thomas said.
The man who was shot was taken to Denver Health, where he is in "stable" condition, according to the Denver Police Department. A second man was taken into custody at the park.
Investigators are still searching for the two other men who ran away.
Dushane Williams and his wife live near the park. Williams said they were at home watching TV when shots rang out.
"She just heard a whole bunch of shots," Williams said. "It's a scary world right now."
Honey Stine, who has lived near the park for a year, described the area as "chaotic" and "unpredictable."
"This area is nice, but you still have to be careful every time you leave your apartment or your house because you never know what's going to happen," Stine said.
West Colfax residents told Denver7 that incidents like these have them on high alert at all times.
"I feel like it's about like a four out of 10 safe. Yeah it's not very safe," said Stine.
"People just need to be aware of what they do. Crimes are a daily thing that happens. And respect the officers because officers are here to protect us," said neighbor Rodolfo Sifuentes.
Nearly 600 crimes were reported in the west Denver neighborhood in 2024, with 193 ShotSpotter reports coming in the same year, according to Denver police.
The officer involved in Monday's shooting was placed on leave, per department protocol. The Denver Police Homicide Unit, Colorado State Patrol, and Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) are investigating the incident.
Denver
Mayor Mike Johnston says he wants to reduce violent gun crime by 20% this year
In March 2024, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston announced his goal of reducing gun violence in the city by 20% as part of his Safe Denver plan.
Johnston called for the use of Place Network Investigations (PNI), which have been used by cities across the country to reduce violence and other crimes. The International Association of Chiefs of Police said the strategy “is grounded in evidence that suggests persistent crime patterns and violent hotspots are visible indicators of underlying crime place networks.” The strategy was also part of a pilot project Denver tested at three hot spots from 2020 to 2022.
The mayor's plan looked to expand the strategy at five hot spots in the city:
- Paco Sánchez Park (Council District 3)
- E. Colfax and N. Verbena (Council District 8)
- 800 Block of S. Oneida (Council District 5)
- Mississippi and Raritan (Council District 7)
- 47th and Peoria (Council District 8)
At the time, District 11 Councilwoman Stacie Gilmore pushed back against the mayor’s plan.
“What we're saying about doing here — and I'm not saying this, you are saying it — is over-policing a community of color,” Gilmore said to the mayor.
The councilwoman said she was concerned about the crime data the mayor was relying on to determine where these hot spots were located.
“What I'm being told by DPD is the data doesn't match,” said Gilmore. “This seems [like] a lot of fear-based sort of work instead of really digging into the data.”
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