LAKEWOOD, Colo. — Two people are dead and a child was injured after an apparent murder-suicide early Monday morning in Jefferson County.
The call originated as a domestic violence call at about 12:15 a.m. in the 4300 block of South Holland Way, according to Jefferson County Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer Karlyn Tilley. A family member called 911 to report their father had a gun and was shooting at their mother. The three children who were inside the home were able to get out, Tilley said.
As deputies arrived, the suspect, 54-year-old James Aragon, fired shots at the children and deputies. One child was hit in the leg and taken to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, the sheriff's office said.
The Jeffco SWAT team responded to the home and attempted to contact the people who were still inside the home. SWAT officers found a woman who had been shot and killed. Officers also found Aragon dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, the sheriff's office said.
A bullet also grazed the pant leg of a deputy and hit a cell phone in his pocket. The deputy was not injured, and deputies did not return fire, the sheriff's office said.
The children are in the care of family members, according to the sheriff's office.
According to reports, this is the second domestic-related murder-suicide in just over a week. The first happened in Northglenn on November 19.
According to Attorney General Phil Weiser's Office, 94 people died from domestic violence in 2022, that's the most since the state started keeping track in 2016.
"I mean it's nauseating honestly," Natasha Adler, director of survivor services and data management for SafeHouse Denver, said. "You feel a pit in your stomach and it's almost like there's been so many at this point that I can almost visualize it in my head like it just, we've seen it before."
SafeHouse is a non-profit that helps domestic violence survivors.
On Monday, Adler thought about the individuals she could not save.
"Yeah, it's just devastating. I'm also just not surprised," she said. "Our domestic violence fatality review report has shown that we're just on an upward trajectory and it's a shame for a lack of a better word. "
Adler said the holidays are often when incidents escalate.
"We're drinking a lot, we're spending a lot of money on Christmas presents, we're around family members that may stress us out," Adler explained. "So there's just a higher likelihood of those situations kind of hitting that peak."
Adler encourages individuals who are in domestic violence situations to seek out help from organizations or trusted individuals. She said for those worried about domestic violence, create a safe word with a trusted family member that way someone knows when you need help.
She hopes as difficult as it may be, having these conversations this time of year will make a difference.
"The more that we’re talking about it the more awareness that there is, the more that we will have our finger on the pulse and be able to support our community," she said.
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