DENVER — Nine people were shot, one fatally, at a southeast Denver nightclub early Monday morning, according to the Denver Police Department.
The shooting occurred just after midnight in the parking lot of Ultra Lounge, 9755 E. Hampden Avenue, DPD Chief Ron Thomas said in a news conference later Monday morning.
When Denver police arrived at the scene, they found one of the victims in a dire situation and rushed them to the hospital, where they were later pronounced deceased. Their identity has not been released.
Eight additional victims were taken to hospitals by ambulance or private vehicle and were reported to be in stable or serious but stable condition, according to Thomas.
- Watch the full news conference with DPD Chief Ron Thomas, in the video player below.
Investigators believe that at least two guns were fired during the shooting that arose from a disturbance among two groups at the club. Thomas said that violence stemmed from an earlier conflict at a separate location that carried over to an after-party at the nightclub.
“What we understand is that there was another event at another location earlier in the day, where there was a confrontation between two groups. Apparently, that confrontation spilled over to this location later in the day, where they confronted each other on the outdoor patio, as well as in the parking lot,” Thomas said.
Thomas said the victims appeared to be targeted in the sense that they were involved in the conflict, but police do not have evidence that anyone arrived at the nightclub intending to carry out a shooting. It's unclear if all the victims were patrons.
Authorities do not currently believe the shooting was gang-motivated, though investigators are still examining possible connections between those involved. Police have not identified any suspects but have obtained descriptions and are interviewing numerous witnesses who were at the club.
“There were a lot of patrons that were here at this establishment, so that's a lot of witnesses to interview,” Thomas said.
- Watch Denver7 Sophia Villalba's live report from the scene at 5 a.m. Monday, in the video player below.
The shooting occurred less than a mile from where a separate deadly shooting injured three people and killed a teenager in January, though police have not indicated the incidents are related.
Police said a 16-year-old boy was shot and killed, and three others — all adults — were wounded in a parking lot celebration of Nicolás Maduro's capture.
- Read more on what happened in that case, in the article below.
Crime
Teen killed, 3 adults wounded in Denver shooting tied to Maduro celebration
Area residents told Denver7 that they are fed up with the continued violence.
Donald Michael Crow has lived in the area near the nightclub for seven years, and said he feels like he wakes up to gunshots every night.
"That's why I'm moving. I got my Denver Housing Authority after eight years waiting, and I'm moving out. This is a crime-infested area, and the cops really need to clean up this area because there's no place for people to live over here," Crow told Denver7.
- Hear directly from him, in the video player below.
Chantel Samuels, a woman who owns a business near the nightclub, is frustrated that police told her to cancel all her clients for the day.
"I'll get here around 5 a.m., and there'll still be people in the parking lot from the club, so it's just an odd place to have a nightclub in the middle of Southeast Denver," Samuels told Denver7.
- Hear directly from her, in the video player below.
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