Sniper team on Brown Palace roof was security for “visiting VIP”

Denver police say it was related to motorcade security and there is no “criminal situation.”
2 min. read
The Brown Palace Hotel on Broadway. Jan. 27, 2023.
Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

A heavily armed law-enforcement team set up atop the Brown Palace and Broadway was closed near the hotel on Tuesday, providing security for an unnamed "visiting VIP."

A CPR News journalist spotted a law-enforcement officer with a long rifle on the sidewalk near the historic hotel on Tuesday around 1 p.m. Law enforcement also appeared to set up a staging tent near the hotel. Later, a local politico posted video of a similarly clothed sniper and spotter on the roof of the hotel.

Much of the police presence cleared out around 7 p.m.

Police initially released little information about what was happening."DPD is assisting another agency. This is not a criminal situation. We are unable to elaborate further at this time," a spokesperson wrote to Denverite.

Shortly afterward, the department followed up on X. "The SWAT activity in the area was related to a motorcade and security for a visiting VIP. No additional info is available," DPD posted.

The visiting VIP was JD Vance, the Republican vice-presidential candidate, according to a Republican source with direct knowledge. The source asked for anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the record.

JD Vance was scheduled to be in Denver on Tuesday for a fundraiser, but the location has not been officially disclosed. The Trump campaign didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Peter Bonk, who is visiting from Canada, told Denverite that the shutdown meant it took about 30 minutes to travel a half-mile. "We couldn’t believe the traffic issues yesterday," he wrote in an email. Word at the hotel was that it was a pricy Vance dinner, he added.

Police officers also responded to a threat near the hotel on Tuesday, but that was a "separate incident," according to DPD.

A local FBI spokesperson said the bureau "won’t have any comment about what might or might not have been at that location today."

A law-enforcement officer with a sniper rifle on Broadway on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024.
Joe Wertz / CPR News


Editor’s note: This article was updated on Wednesday, Oct. 9, at 2:30 p.m with further information.

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