Two men police said were involved in an exchange of gunfire that left one person dead Monday night in downtown Denver are in police custody, Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen said Tuesday.
Joshua Hayward, 24, and Dashae Armstrong, 23, were arrested in connection with the targeted shooting in LoDo on Monday that left four people, including Armstrong, with non-life threatening injuries, Pazen said. All five victims were men.
Pazen said Hayward was arrested on Tuesday morning and is being held on investigation of first-degree murder. Hayward fled the scene in a vehicle. Armstrong was one of the five shooting victims and was transported to the hospital with a gunshot wound. Armstrong is facing federal weapons charges.
There still was no motive established for the shooting or which one of the victims was targeted, Pazen said. Police were still attempting to figure out how many shots were fired Monday. He declined to describe what kind of firearms were used.
One person died as a result of the shooting. Pazen would not say whether or not the man who died was targeted or was a bystander, citing the ongoing investigation. The victim's name has not been released. Pazen said proper family notifications have to be completed first.
The incident remains under investigation. Pazen said investigators worked through the night at the scene near 21st and Lawrence streets. Police are still looking for additional witnesses and are encouraging them to reach out to police with information.
"At this time, we are still investigating the incident and believe that a number of people who may have witnessed the incident are still out," Pazen said. "They left the area prior to us being able to talk to them and we really want to speak to everybody who witnessed this and get their information."
The shooting happened in a busy area of downtown Denver, just blocks away from popular bars, restaurants and Coors Field. Pazen said they will be proactive in keeping the city safe, especially as holiday festivities get underway.
"Denver is a remarkably safe city," Pazen said. "We work tirelessly with our partners, with our communities to ensure that it is safe."
Pazen said that they need to make "sure that all neighborhoods in Denver are safe and when these high-level crimes do occur, that we have the ability to get people in custody as quickly as possible, and in this case, that happened." He said the room where Tuesday's press conference took place inside the Denver Crime Laboratory hosts the city's crime strategy meetings.
"People deciding to shoot at one another is something that we will not tolerate in this city," Pazen added. "We will work with the community to address these high levels of violence."
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock issued a statement on Tuesday following the press conference. He offered his condolences to the family of the man who was killed and prayers to the other people injured.
He said he had met with district commanders at the scene and asked whether the department needed additional resources. He praised the officers' work.
"Shootings like these and other recent tragedies in the neighborhood are unacceptable," Hancock said in the statement. "The victims deserve justice and the people responsible for these horrible acts will be held accountable."
