Five people are dead, including the shooter, and multiple others were injured during a shooting spree across the Denver area on Monday night.
Two women and one man were injured at the first location, according to local police. Another man was killed in a shooting death soon afterward at 12 Avenue and Williams Street. The shooter killed two others at a third location in the suburb of Lakewood.
The gunman then entered a building in the Belmar Shopping Center in Lakewood and shot a store worker. Officers fired back at the shooter, ending the killing spree.
Among the injured was also a police officer who was reportedly hospitalized.
“The officer is alive and in surgery,” Denver 7 reporter Jessica Porter said.
Terrifying night for shoppers as the shooter fled Denver officers to the Belmar Shopping center in Lakewood. The gunman shot at officers and went into a business. He shot a clerk who is now in the hospital and an officer. No word on a motive.
— Jessica Porter (@JessicaDenver7) December 28, 2021
Police confirmed the multiple shootings were by the same individual. A motive has not yet been identified in the incident.
More information on this evening’s active shooter situation in Lakewood. https://t.co/CPhSPaZWsU
— Lakewood Police Dept. (@LakewoodPDCO) December 28, 2021
“We seen [sic] the lady officer just yelled: ‘put your gun down. Put your gun away!’ And we just seen the suspect pull his gun out and, literally, shoot her, in front of us and she was on the floor, she was on the ground,” one witness told FOX31. “He turned and he kept shooting, almost shooting toward us, but my friend, backed up, just in time or we would have been shot, as well.”
Another witness driving near the Belmar area said he saw a female officer in pursuit of the suspect.
“We seen [sic] the guy: he was a tall man, blond hair, with a trench coat. She yelled at him to ‘put his gun down!’ She yelled, ‘put your gun down’ and he turned around and, like, pulled up the gun and shot her right in front of us, multiple times,” another witness said, according to the outlet.
🚨#BREAKING: Several shot dead following shooting spree across Denver Metro Area
Police are responding to several scenes including Hyatt Hotel, Whole Foods, and a Thai restaurant. At least five are dead, and several more wounded. This is still developing pic.twitter.com/LdMpXdLhvu
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) December 28, 2021
Numerous customers were still inside Belmar businesses as police pursued the shooter.
“Numerous businesses have customers and employees still inside. SWAT teams are clearing a very large area inch by inch. Stay inside and stay safe until area cleared by law enforcement,” a Colorado State Police post noted.
Troopers assisting Lakewood in the Belmar area. Numerous businesses have customers and employees still inside. SWAT teams are clearing a very large area inch by inch. Stay inside and stay safe until area cleared by law enforcement. S1
— CSP Golden (@csp_golden) December 28, 2021
One witness told Denver’s CBS4, “We were just in there, my husband and I. You could hear the popping outside. It was like one shot and then maybe five or six more and a couple more after that. Xfinity did an awesome job. They swooped us right inside. Got us in the back room and got the gates down. Fortunately, we didn’t see too much.”