The Denver Police Department announced just after 10 a.m. that a woman had died of her injuries at a hospital and that they were investigating the shooting near the intersection of North Federal Boulevard and West 2nd Avenue as a homicide.

Police officers found the woman when they responded to the shooting, according to a 12:29 a.m. Monday post on X.

The woman was taken to the hospital by paramedics while officers remained at the scene for the investigation and to develop suspect information, the department’s post stated.

Detectives also learned another victim went to the hospital on their own. That person’s injuries are not clear, and details about their identity, including their age and gender, were not available.

Anyone with information should contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867 or file an anonymous report online.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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Then on Wednesday a gunman walked onto the campus at the University of Nevada Las Vegas and killed three members of the business school’s faculty, critically injuring a fourth.

To date, 38 mass shootings broke the previous 2006 year record of 36, as defined by incidents in which four or more people have died, not including the assailant. Here, in Colorado, we are all too familiar with the devastating impact of mass shootings.

And, while mass shootings get the most attention, they are simply the tip of the iceberg and a small percentage of firearm-related deaths. Gun violence is a serious public health problem and a leading cause of premature death.

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were more than 48,000 firearm-related deaths in the U.S. in 2022, which translates to about 132 people dying from a firearm-related injury every day. Four out of every 10 were firearm homicides. In Colorado gun deaths reached a 40-year high in 2021, and there can be no doubt that when data for 2022 and 2023 are released the number will be much higher.

While there are many factors driving up gun violence, most experts agree that access to firearms is the primary factor.

This should be a call to action, but we are all familiar with the script. Our elected officials send their thoughts and prayers to victims and communities, but little to nothing is done.

Fortunately, leaders like Colorado’s United States Attorney Cole Finegan are stepping into the void.

In Colorado, some felons may legally possess firearms under recent changes to state law. The crime “possession of a weapon by a previous offender,” with a few exceptions, is now limited to felonies that fall under the Victim’s Rights Act. As a result, police and state prosecutors cannot seize firearms from these felons when they are encountered and the guns remain on the street.

Even when convictions are obtained, inmates earn 10-12 days of comp time per month in Colorado’s prison system, depending on the statute of conviction, and they frequently serve less than 50% of their total sentence in prison before they are paroled.

Under federal law, however, a felon cannot possess a gun or ammunition, and any felony can be a predicate for federal prosecution. There are also greater penalties for possession, with a maximum of a 10-year sentence. Federal law also has mandatory minimum sentences for using a gun to commit violent crimes. And there is no parole in the federal system. In fact, those convicted under federal law generally must serve 85% of their sentence before being eligible for release on probation, although some motivated inmates can receive additional credit if they participate in rehabilitative programming.

Finegan has used the federal law to more aggressively pursue cases but he had a limited number of attorneys and staff to more aggressively prosecute these cases. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Colorado had approximately 45 prosecutors for the entire state. By contrast, there are over 750 prosecutors in the 22 District Attorney offices in Colorado.

In 2022, Finegan sought to expand the number of violent crime prosecutors in his office who handle federal cases by seeking to partner with local jurisdictions in Colorado where violent crime is most significant.

Denver and Aurora both answered the call and provided a total of five attorneys who are now deputized as federal prosecutors and handling violent crime cases at the federal level. These so-called Special Assistant United States Attorneys, four from Denver and one from Aurora, work in the United States Attorney’s Office, but their salaries are paid by their home jurisdictions. After launching the program in 2023, the SAUSAs have opened more than 66 matters focused on gun crimes in Denver and Aurora.

In addition to prosecuting felons who are illegally possessing weapons, these prosecutors are handling other violent crimes with guns, including take-over style bank robberies, as well as cases where someone without a criminal record illegally buys guns for convicted criminals.

And soon, the number of additional prosecutors handling these kinds of cases could be nine. Governor Jared Polis included a provision in his proposed budget to fund four more SAUSAs. These new SAUSAs will be funded through the Colorado Attorney General’s Office and will be able to work on cases across the state.

Finegan told me that, “a lot of violent crime is perpetuated by a smaller number of people than you think”, and that by using federal laws and tools to prosecute these cases, they are taking these dangerous felons off the streets for longer periods of time.  Finegan added, “we are very grateful that Denver, Aurora, the Governor, and the Attorney General  are such active partners.”

This program is so promising that other U.S. Attorney’s Offices around the country are looking at replicating Finegan’s model.

As the legislature convenes in January, it is incumbent for them to make Colorado safer by approving this budget request and passing stronger laws to address these anomalies.

Doug Friednash grew up in Denver and is a partner with the law firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber and Schreck. He is the former chief of staff for Gov. John Hickenlooper.

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According to an email from Arapahoe County public information officer Ginger Delgado, two men were shot outside the store in the 2200 block of Quebec Street.

The two men were taken to a hospital, where the 29-year-old was pronounced deceased, Delgado said. He was identified Monday by the coroner’s office as Diego Jesus Lopez Manrrique, according to a statement.

The second man, who is not the suspect, survived the shooting, Delgado confirmed Thursday.

The coroner’s office determined Manrrique’s death was a homicide.

The suspect fled the scene and remains at large, Delgado said. The shooting is under investigation.

According to the release, deputies initially contacted a man who had injuries that were not life-threatening outside in the 21000 block of Akawi Way after responding to the scene just after midnight.

“The initial information we got was that there could be a potential higher risk than what our patrol deputies are capable and appropriate to respond to,” Miller said on a phone call Thursday afternoon.

El Paso County spokesperson Sergeant Marcus Miller said Friday deputies called the SWAT team preemptively in the event of a worst-case scenario like a barricaded subject or hostage situation was happening, but Miller explained they had no reason to suspect any of these situations were actually happening.

The investigation later showed the shooting happened before deputies arrived at the scene, he said.

The relationships of the deceased are still yet to be determined, and there is no active threat to the community, the release noted.

Editor’s note: This story and headline were updated at 12:20 p.m. Friday, Dec. 8, 2023, to note the “potential hostage situation” was only a worst-case scenario, and the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office had no reason to suspect such a situation was unfolding.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Texas man killed his parents and four others and wounded two police officers in a daylong trail of violence stretching from San Antonio to Austin, authorities said Wednesday.

Shane James, 34, of San Antonio, was charged with two counts of capital murder after separate attacks in Austin and San Antonio that began Tuesday morning and ended with James crashing his car that evening during a police pursuit.

James has a history of mental health problems and a prior arrest on charges of assaulting family members, authorities said.

His parents, Phyllis James, 55, and Shane James Sr. 56, were found dead in their home in the San Antonio area, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said at a news conference. Four more people were found dead in two homes in Austin, more than 80 miles (130 kilometers) away, officials said.

The Austin victims were not immediately identified. James would be charged with murder or capital murder in his parents’ deaths as well, Salazar said.

A cyclist in Austin also was shot and wounded, and two police officers were recovering from gunshots, including one who was shot in the leg outside of a high school, Austin interim Police Chief Robin Henderson said.

Henderson said it was unclear what, if any, relationship the man had to the victims in the Austin area.

Online jail records did not indicate whether James has an attorney and several people listed as his relatives in public records did not immediately respond to phone messages Wednesday.

James is a former U.S. Army infantry officer who served from February 2013 to August 2015, according to Lt. Col. Ruth Castro, Army spokesperson. He had no deployments and his last rank was first lieutenant.

James was arrested in January 2022 on charges of misdemeanor assault of his parents and a sibling and taken to jail. Two weeks later, the family told a victim advocates liaison that he had mental health problems and asked that he be released from jail, Salazar said.

James cut off his ankle monitor the day after he was released, prompting a misdemeanor probation violation warrant, Salazar said. Cutting off an ankle monitor has since been upgraded to a felony.

Deputies went to the parents’ house in August when James was reported to be naked in the yard and behaving strangely. They went into the home but did not arrest James because he had barricaded himself in a bedroom, Salazar said. Deputies are limited in their use of forced entry on a misdemeanor warrant, the sheriff said.

The deputies told the father to call them when James came out and they would come back to arrest him, but the father never called, Salazar added.

“It’s always possible we could have done more, had they been able to safely put hands on him,” Salazar said. “They were making every effort to avoid a violent confrontation with an unarmed man. That is a no-win situation for them.”

Austin police said authorities did not determine the attacks there were connected until the final one at a home, which happened more than eight hours after a school police officer was shot and wounded in a high school parking lot on the other side of the city.

James’ parents were found dead after his arrest. Deputies who went to their residence saw water coming out of the home and forced their way inside, Salazar said. He said the deaths appeared to have occurred before the shootings in Austin.

“This occurred, and then the suspect drove to Austin and did what he did there,” Salazar said.

In a statement, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the state would “impose the full weight of law on this criminal for his despicable crimes.”

“Texans grieve for the loved ones of the six Texans who were murdered by a hardened criminal who must never see the light of day again,” Abbott said.

The attacks were the country’s 42nd mass killings this year, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University. At least 217 people have died this year in those killings, which are defined as incidents in which four or more people have died within a 24-hour period, not including the killer — the same definition used by the FBI.

A timeline provided by authorities revealed the wide ground the suspect allegedly covered between the attacks.

Henderson said the Austin school district police officer was shot in the leg about 10:45 a.m. Tuesday outside Northeast Early College High School. Then, around noon, police who responded to a home after getting calls about gunshots found two people with signs of trauma. Police say one was dead and the other died at a hospital.

Daniel Moyer, who lives in the Austin neighborhood, said the area is typically peaceful and he felt shaken Wednesday. The neighborhood in south Austin is more than 10 miles (16 kilometers) miles from the high school where the officer was shot.

“It could have been me and my wife,” Moyer said.

Another shooting happened shortly before 5 p.m., when a male cyclist suffered non-life-threatening injuries. About two hours later, police responded to a call of a burglary in progress at another home and found two people dead there. Henderson did not say how the four people in Austin died.

Henderson said that during the call at the last residence, an Austin police officer saw a man in the backyard. The man shot and wounded the officer who returned fire and was taken to a hospital. The officer was subsequently listed in stable condition.

Police said the man, who was not hit, drove away and police chased him. The suspect crashed at about 7:15 p.m. at a highway intersection and was taken into custody. The man had a gun, Henderson said.

She said the officer who was shot and the other officers were wearing body cameras and the video would be released within 10 business days.

___ Associated Press writers Jake Bleiberg in Dallas; Lolita Baldor in Washington; Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire; and AP photographer Eric Gay in San Antonio contributed to this report.

Officers responding to a 911 call about a shooting that came in just before 8 p.m. Friday found the man, according to the post.

Police say a suspect was on the scene and was taken into custody, and that there is no immediate danger to the public at this time.

The Jefferson County Coroner will conduct an autopsy to determine the man’s identity and the manner of death.

The post on X said the shooting was not related to the Nov. 29 shooting on W. 38th Avenue.

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Officers were in the area when they heard gunshots about 12:15 a.m., the Aurora Police Department reported on X. They responded to the shooting in the 1300 block of Joliet Street, where they found the more than 100 young people fleeing the party.

Four people were shot and taken to hospitals: an 18-year-old woman, two 19-year-old men and a 17-year-old boy, police said. None of their wounds appeared to be life-threatening.

One vehicle “created a safety risk” to the fleeing partygoers, so officers attempted a traffic stop. The vehicle didn’t stop, and officers pursued the vehicle until they could disable it.

The driver, an 18-year-old man ran, but officers apprehended him, police said. Officers recovered a handgun with a large-capacity magazine in the vehicle, but police later said on X they do not believe he was involved in the shooting.

He was booked into jail on a felony charge of vehicular eluding and misdemeanor charges of reckless driving, possession of a weapon with a large capacity magazine and obstruction of a peace officer.

Detectives are investigating and trying to figure out who was at the party and who was involved in the shooting.

Anyone with information can contact Metro Denver Crimestoppers at 720-913-7867 and be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000.

Officers arrested the boy on charges of manslaughter and juvenile possession of a gun, Aurora police spokesperson Joe Moylan said Wednesday in an email.

Police responded about 10:20 p.m. Saturday to a report of a shooting in the 1000 block of Norfolk Street, where they found the boy had accidentally shot the girl during a family party.

Officers performed life-saving measures until medical personnel took her to a hospital, but she died while there, Moylan said.

The boy remained at the scene before police arrested him, Moylan said.

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Brighton police arrested Jemhari Lee, 22, in connection to the shooting that happened in the 100 block of South Miller Avenue, according to a police news release.

Police responded about 10:20 p.m. to a reported apartment complex shooting, where they found people outside who appeared to be involved. One man was found inside an apartment with a gunshot wound, and he died later at a hospital.

Officers detained six people for questioning before they arrested Lee, according to the department.

Police ask anyone with information regarding this incident to contact the Brighton Police Department at 303-655-8740.

A witness reported they heard the suspect say “I told you I was going to get you” before shooting William Winters again, according to the affidavit.

Winters, 28, was carrying a baby in a car seat when he was shot Thursday, Colorado Springs police said in the affidavit. Winters died at the scene, and the baby sustained some redness and bruising from being dropped, according to the affidavit.

The suspect, Shaquille Brown, 29, is charged with first-degree murder in the killing.

Police responded to the courthouse at 270 S. Tejon St. just after 10 a.m. Thursday to reports of a shooting and arrested Brown.

Brown told detectives Winters assaulted him at a downtown Colorado Springs bar, Blondies, in April, and he said he shot Winters because Winters had since sent him threats by text and social media, according to the arrest affidavit. But Brown could not produce evidence of the threats, according to the affidavit.

Brown also told police he had borrowed the gun from a friend because he was afraid of Winters and that Winters was walking toward him when he started shooting. But when surveillance video contradicted Brown’s statements, he told police he “blacked out” and was not in control of his actions.

Winters was scheduled to be arraigned in the assault case at the courthouse on Thursday morning, according to court records.

“Mr. Brown stated he felt fear and pressure, and stated he ‘would not allow’ (Winters) to harm him again,” a Colorado Springs detective wrote in the affidavit.

Detectives recovered eight shell casings and a Glock 19 handgun at the scene.

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