x
Breaking News
More () »

Robbery attempt led to shooting outside Denver museum, police say

A suspect is in custody in connection with the attempted robbery and shooting Sunday in the parking lot of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.

DENVER — A suspect who was trying to rob another man was injured in an exchange of gunfire in a Denver museum parking lot Sunday afternoon, according to the Denver Police Department.

It happened around 2:45 p.m. Sunday in the parking lot of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, which is in the area of Colorado Boulevard and 20th Avenue, on the east side of City Park. 

RELATED: 1 injured in shooting outside Denver museum

According to a police probable cause statement, the victim of the attempted robbery told police he had just pulled into the parking lot. He got out of the car to change his shirt, and his girlfriend got out of the car to get the couple's two children out of the back seat.

The victim said that was when they saw two men wearing ski masks approach with guns drawn and pointed at him, according to the statement. The two suspects began to grab at him and told him to give them the silver chain he was wearing around his neck, the statement says.

The man told police he turned around, and when he did, one of the suspects hit him in the back of his head with a gun. The man grabbed his concealed carry gun from his waistband and turned around to point it at the suspects, the statement says.

When the suspects saw his gun, at least one of them fired several rounds, the man told police. One of the rounds hit the rear passenger side of the car, where someone was seated, according to the statement. The man then fired several rounds back at the suspects.

The suspects ran away while still pointing their guns at the man, the statement says. The man fired an additional round at them. The two suspects got into a car and headed east, the statement says. 

Another car was also hit by the shots.

A few minutes after the shooting, someone walked into a nearby hospital with a gunshot wound, police said. Using surveillance video, police identified him as one of the suspects in the shooting.

That suspect, 21-year-old Oscar Mendoza, was taken into police custody at the hospital. According to the probable cause statement, he's being held on suspicion of four counts of attempted murder, two counts of felony menacing and attempted robbery.

Surveillance video showed a driver dropping Mendoza and another person off at the hospital and then leaving. The car they were in matched the description of the car that left the shooting scene. The other person who was dropped off at the hospital left before police arrived there, police said.

It's unclear whether police are looking for any other suspects in connection with the shooting. They said their investigation is ongoing. 

SUGGESTED VIDEOSLatest from 9NEWS


Before You Leave, Check This Out