SerpApi.Org
It was a troubling and unusual weekend of violence in Denver, as Denver Police described a series of shootings that happened in the metro area. One of those shootings killed one person and injured eight others outside Ultra Lounge in southeast Denver.
Denver police spent the morning investigating the crime scene at the property, which is located off Hampden Avenue.
"Sadness. The objective was, when everybody left, was to make it home, and unfortunately somebody didn't make it home, and a lot of people had to go get treatment. So, it's ultimately just sadness," said Malcom Riley, Violence Interrupter Lead with Struggle of Love.
According to police, the two groups involved in the shooting appeared to be in an altercation at an after party that took place at Ultra Lounge, but the conflict initially started at an event in Aurora.
There is evidence that two guns were used during the shooting, but as of Monday morning, police were not able to locate any of the weapons.
"I think one of the challenges that we face all over our city is that there are far too many people that have access to guns and just don't have the appropriate conflict resolution skills to keep a disturbance or a disagreement from escalating into gun violence," said Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas.
The owner of Ultra Lounge East, Dionte Wilkins, released a statement on Facebook on Monday saying his heart is with the community and calling for the violence to stop:
I'm hurt, I'm devastated, I'm disappointed.
I can't even find the words to say. I'm not speaking as only a Black Business Owner , but also as a victim of a horrific tragedy, enjoying life and celebration with a community I truly love.
Me and the other survivors are more than fortunate to still have our lives today. We all could have lost our lives because a random act of violence. Innocent people were hurt, and a life was lost in the blink of an eye.
The senseless violence in our community has got to stop. Our lives DO MATTER and we can't expect the WORLD to respect that if we can't!
My heart is with #Elijah and his family! My heart is with all the victims and everybody who was injured and not injured! My heart is with my community.
We at Ultra Lounge East will do whatever we have to do to help push for change in this behavior in our community. WE ARE THE COMMUNITY!
While police are still working to identify suspects and speak to witnesses, they say this incident is a reminder of how critical it is to have violence interrupters who can help de-escalate conflict before it becomes violent.
Struggle of Love, an anti-gun violence organization in the Metro area, has been working for years on violence prevention in situations similar to what happened at Ultra Lounge.
"We would rather get in front of it, find if there's any conflicts, and if so, what can we do to mitigate. Get to the root of it to make sure everybody that goes out does go home," said Riley. "We understand we can't stop everything, but we do stop more than actually happens. It was just unfortunate we couldn't get ahead of this one because we weren't familiar with the actual issue."
While Riley says they work to provide the tools and mediation to help individuals and groups resolve conflict, it is also up to the community to reach out for help.
"Our message is to make you [get] home safe every time, every time. And if you don't know how to do it, call us, and we'll get you home safe," he said. "If you don't know how to talk to someone, call us. We'll teach you. If you have some issues that's underlying, we have a mental health team that can help you. If your issue is hunger, and that makes you angry, we can feed you. No matter what, we have means to help."
Riley tells CBS Colorado they are familiar with some of the people who were hurt in the shooting and are keeping everyone who has been affected in their prayers.
