DENVER -- Violent crime is on the rise in one of Denver's most popular hangouts. The area surrounding Union Station has seen at least three shootings in under two weeks.
The first shooting happened on July 11 near 19th and Blake streets. Two people were shot but both survived.
The second happened early Sunday morning near 20th and Market streets. Three people, later identified as brothers, were shot. One of them, 23-year-old Dontre Williams, did not survive.
Police say a group of people was arguing before the deadly shooting. Williams' family held a vigil for him Sunday night.
"We still don't really know what happened," Williams' cousin Kenny Newell said. "He was definitely in the wrong place at the wrong time."
The third shooting happened early Monday morning near 16th and Blake streets. The victim was seriously injured, and police said he died Tuesday.
Violent crime — which includes murders, robberies, and aggravated assaults — near Union Station is the highest it's ever been at this point in year over the last six years, which is as far back as DPD's online crime records go.
Here's how this year's stats, from Jan. 1-July 18, compare to years past:
- 2021: 90 offenses
- 2020: 84 offenses
- 2019: 63 offenses
- 2018: 72 offenses
- 2017: 80 offenses
- 2016: 66 offenses
None of the shootings in the past week or so are related, Denver police said Monday, and the department still hasn't made any arrests.
But for the families of these victims, that closure can't come soon enough.
"We need all of the tips from anywhere to go into the Denver Police Department because our family's hurting, we're hurting," Newell said.
If you have any information about the recent shootings near Union Station, contact Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867.