Updated at 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 28
A man accused of shooting and wounding a woman on Wednesday at an east Denver hotel shelter was arrested Thursday morning, Denver Police announced.
The suspect, Cameron Ware, was arrested in the early morning hours and is being held on charges of attempted first-degree murder and first-degree burglary, according to a DPD affidavit.
DPD said the shooting occurred Wednesday night at the Denver Navigation Campus at 4040 N. Quebec St., a former DoubleTree hotel that was converted into transitional housing as part of Mayor Mike Johnston’s House1000 initiative, now rebranded as “All In Mile High.”
Officers found a woman inside one of the rooms suffering from a gunshot wound to the neck, DPD Chief Ron Thomas said during a press conference Thursday afternoon. The woman was hospitalized and is currently in stable condition.
A witness told DPD that the victim, Ware and an unidentified person were arguing Wednesday morning about an alleged theft. Thomas said police believe the shooting was a result of the conflict.
DPD added that shelter staff were able to identify Ware and the other person through surveillance footage. Ware, the victim and the unidentified person are all residents of the shelter.
The unidentified person was also arrested, but it’s unclear whether they will be charged.
The Denver District Attorney’s office will make a final determination on the charges. It’s unclear if Ware has an attorney who can comment on his behalf.
The second shooting in March
Wednesday’s shooting is the latest violent incident occurring at the hotel shelter this month.
On March 16, Sandra Cervantes and Dustin Nunn were both found fatally shot at the shelter. DPD said they’re treating the case as a homicide and that the investigation is still ongoing.
DPD said they were unable to confirm if the two shootings were related.
Police are encouraging anyone with information regarding both incidents to contact Metro Crime Stoppers.
What kind of calls has DPD received about the shelter?
From November, when the shelter opened, until March 18, DPD has received about 500 service calls to the campus’ address, according to data Denverite received on March 28.
Of those calls, about 38 incidents were elevated, meaning a report was filed and investigations occurred, according to DPD’s public crime map also from March 18.
Most of the calls were listed as “other crimes,” mainly consisting of criminal trespassing and other court order violations, according to DPD’s crime data.
Other elevated calls were for “other crimes against a person,” which includes crimes such as “simple assault” (which is a misdemeanor) and drug and alcohol. There were three calls for aggravated assault.
DPD officials previously said high service calls with lower elevated incident numbers are typical, especially at places with a higher density of people.
That sentiment was echoed by Jamie Rife, the executive director of the city’s Department of Housing and Stability.
During Thursday’s press conference, Rife said the Navigation Center is one of the larger adult hotel shelters with more residents. City officials said there are about 305 people living at the shelter.
She added that the facility is also set up differently from the other sites, leading to issues with access points.
What security changes have been made at the Navigation Center?
After the March 16 shooting, city officials said they would begin ramping up security at the site and the other hotel shelters, according to their needs.
Some of those added security measures included the installation of a photo badging system for staff and residents, adding more surveillance cameras, increasing DPD presence, adding metal detectors, and increasing staff presence, which includes contracted security guards.
Rife said there are eight security guards at the Navigation Center, securing the site and limiting access points.
She added that the city is currently working with the Salvation Army, which operates the site, regarding additional safety measures and guest policies.
Deaths in All In Mile High shelters
According to the city’s All In dashboard, nine people in the program have died at the shelters.
Since the shelter opened, seven people have died at that location, according to the city’s medical examiner office. However, only four of those deaths were people in the program, according to city officials. The ME’s office said they do not make that distinction in their data counts.
Of the seven deaths, two are those in the recent fatal shooting. It’s unclear how the other five people died. The ME’s office said those investigations were pending, along with toxicology reports.
Rife said ultimately the large number of incidents and deaths at the site can be attributed to the size of the facility. When asked whether those experiencing homelessness were safer outside at this point, Thomas shook his head no and Rife agreed.
Rife said DPD responds to numerous calls regarding encampments
“It is our belief that once we get people inside, they are safer,” Rife said. “We're going to continue to evaluate and figure out what the best path forward is to make sure that everyone is safe.”
