Danica Woolard remembers her big sister, Emerall Vaughn-Dahler, as someone filled with love.
"She was the best person I've ever known," she told us Friday as she and her family left flowers on the doorstep of American Elm.
Vaughn-Dahler and her coworker, Ignacio "Nacho" Gutierrez Morales, were both shot and killed at the West Highland restaurant last Monday. On May 1, one week after the tragedy, their community will hold two fundraisers to help their families cover their bills and pay for funeral costs.
Woolard said one will take place at New Image Restaurant and Brewery, in Olde Town Arvada, at 5 p.m.
Hops and Pie, the pizza and beer joint on Tennyson Street that's not far from American Elm, will host another at 5 p.m. This one has been framed as the local restaurant industry stepping up to support their own; over 30 restaurants, breweries and distributors have donated items to the cause.
We caught Jenn Stewart, with Tennyson's Top Tenn Lounge, as she dropped off a check at Hops and Pie. She said people in her world feel a moral obligation to help.
"This is a neighborhood," she said. "We are a community."
Woolard said her sister would get that feeling. If this had happened to someone Vaughn-Dahler knew, Woolard told us, "She would be doing everything in her power to make sure they've got justice."
Both fundraisers are accepting donations through a GoFundMe page, which has already raised over $100,000.
Details about the shooting are still scant.
Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas said the killings may have happened during a robbery, but his department told 9News they don't have much else to share yet, including information about a potential suspect.
On Friday, Denver Metro Crime Stoppers announced they were more than doubling their cash offer for information that could lead police to whoever shot Vaughn-Dahler and Gutierrez Morales.
After they rested bouquets at American Elm's makeshift memorial, Woolard, joined by her cousin, sister and mother, canvassed 38th Avenue with Denver Metro Crime Stoppers' bulletin about the reward. She said Denver Police hasn't told them much, either.
"We've been told nothing. It seems like they have no leads," she said. "We're hoping somebody comes forward."
"Detectives are still actively investigating this case," a Denver Police spokesperson wrote us in a statement. "There are no new updates to share at this time. No arrests have been made. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers."
This story has been updated with comment from DPD.
