DENVER — The FBI Denver Field Office announced Tuesday that it played a key role in Operation Summer Heat, a nationwide initiative targeting violent crime this past summer.
FBI Denver touted that among the highlights in Colorado and Wyoming are the arrest of Matthew Ladaniel Johnson, 55, who is accused of shooting and killing Brandon Houston, 41, and Jason Lewis, 38, during a Denver bar fight on Dec. 30, 2023.
An FBI tipster led to the arrest of Johnson, who was taken into custody in Denver on Aug. 29.
The arrest occurred after the FBI announced a $10,000 reward in connection with the case.
“The FBI Denver Field Office is fully committed to crushing violent crime across Colorado and Wyoming,” Special Agent in Charge of FBI Denver Mark Michalek said in a press release. “Operation Summer Heat shows that surging resources with our state and local law enforcement partners, as well as our other federal partners, can have a significant impact on reducing crime.”
FBI Denver also mentioned two separate operations at Wind River Indian Reservation and in Pueblo, which resulted in several arrests and the seizure of drugs and weapons.
Nationally, Operation Summer Heat led to 8,629 arrests, the seizure of 44,569 kilograms of cocaine, 421 kilograms of fentanyl, and 2,281 weapons, according to a press release.
The agency stated that between June 24 and Sept. 20, all 55 FBI field offices participated in the operation.
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