Authorities are giving an update after an officer was injured in a shooting near the Belmar shopping center Monday evening.
A shooting spree that began in Denver and ended in Lakewood Monday night left 5 people dead, including the suspected shooter.
Three others, including a Lakewood police officer, were also wounded, according to Lakewood and Denver police officials, who provided a joint news briefing following what they described as a large-scale, active shooter incident.
In Denver, two women and a man were killed, and another man was injured, in a series of shootings that began sometime after 5 p.m., according to Denver police Chief Paul Pazen.
Pazen said there was a total of four shootings in Denver:
- At East First Avenue and North Broadway, two women were shot and killed, and another man was injured
- At 12th Avenue and North Williams Street, one man was shot and killed
- At West 6th Avenue and Cherokee Street, police believe a gun was fired, but no injuries were reported
- At 8th and Zuni, police pursued the suspect in his vehicle, and gunfire was exchanged. Pazen said a police cruiser was disabled, but no officers were injured.
Police believe the shooting suspect then fled to Lakewood in his car, where he allegedly killed another person, and injured two others, including a Lakewood police officer.
John Romero, public information officer with Lakewood police, said officers responded to reports of a shooting at a business at the 1500 block of Kipling Street just before 6 p.m., where they found one person dead.
Police identified the suspected shooter and the car he was driving. When officers attempted to stop him, gunfire was exchanged and the shooter then fled on foot to the Belmar shopping center in Lakewood, Romero said.
Romero said the shooter “felony menaced” one business, before fleeing to the Hyatt Place hotel, where he allegedly shot and injured a hotel clerk. The clerk was taken to the hospital. Police did not have additional information about the person’s condition.
The shooter fled again, before encountering and shooting a Lakewood police officer. That officer was undergoing surgery at the hospital, Romero said. No further information on the officer’s condition was immediately available Monday night.
Officials said the suspect again exchanged fire with Lakewood police, and died sometime during the shootout, though it was not clear if he was killed by officers, Romero said.
Police have not identified a motive for the shootings, describing the scene as “active” and “fresh” Monday night. Officials believe there was only one shooter, and said there is no additional threat to the public.
Some businesses in Lakewood remained locked down following the shootings.
At 9:15 p.m., Colorado State Patrol tweeted that troopers were in the Belmar shopping area assisting, and that numerous businesses still had customers and employees inside. State Patrol also reported that SWAT teams were “clearing a very large area inch by inch.”
