DENVER — One of the people charged in connection with the Denver shooting following the 2023 Nuggets Championship win has pleaded guilty.
Ricardo Vasquez pleaded guilty on Friday to one count of attempted murder and one count of intent to distribute a controlled substance.
The shooting broke out around 12:30 a.m. on June 13, 2023 at 20th Street and Market Street, about three and a half hours after the Nuggets had secured their first NBA title win. In total, 10 people were injured in the shooting, three of which were critical. Denver police said there were different shell casing recovered from the scene, so it was clear more than one firearm was discharged, later adding that the motive appeared to be drug-related.
Watch the raw video of the shooting from June 2023 in our video below.
Police later determined that Vasquez had fired multiple shots into the large crowd of people.
Vazquez, who was 22 at the time, fled the area but was taken into custody a short distance later near Park and Blake streets, Denver police said. He was injured in the shooting.
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Denver police later searched a nearby vehicle believed to be connected to the shooting and discovered a second firearm on the floorboard. Police said the driver of that vehicle, identified as Raoul Gottfried Jones, then-33, was taken into custody on a charge of possessing a weapon as a previous offender. He pleaded guilty in November and is set for sentencing on Feb. 6.
In addition, Kenneth Blakely, then-24, was arrested on June 23, 2023 in connection with the shooting. Blakely was charged with attempted first-degree murder and first-degree assault. His trial is set for mid-April.
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Per the plea agreement, Vasquez will be sentenced to 35 years in prison on March 21.
“Mr. Vasquez’s guilty plea ensures that he will pay a significant price for his actions that night," said the Denver District Attorney. "I hope this case sends the message that Denver will not tolerate dangerous behavior of this kind, and that violent criminals will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. I want to thank the prosecutors and investigators in my office, as well as the detectives with the Denver Police Department, whose great work brought about the successful resolution of this case."
At the end of June 2023, Denver7 spoke with one of the injured victims about that night downtown and his road to recovery.