DENVER — A woman has been arrested and is accused of shooting through the window of a unit in a fourplex and killing a 21-year-old man who was inside playing video games with his friends, according to the Denver Police Department (DPD).
The Office of the Medical Examiner later identified that man as Joryn Dean.
Yolanda Hilliard, 49, faces a charge of first-degree murder in connection with the fatal shooting Thursday afternoon two blocks north of City Park. She also faces several attempted murder charges related to the other people who were in the room with the victim when he was shot, according to a Probable Cause (PC) statement for her arrest from DPD.
The shooting occurred just before 3 p.m. Thursday at a fourplex in the 2800 block of North Monroe Street – in a neighborhood northeast of East 26th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard.
The victim was found on the bedroom floor of a unit with a gunshot wound to the head, according to the PC statement. He was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
One witness who was in the bedroom told police they were playing video games when the next-door neighbor, identified as Hilliard, pushed the bedroom window curtain aside and "sort of leaned into the window", the PC statement says.
The witness said they asked her what she was doing and told her to leave, according to the document. They then closed the window and pulled the curtain shut. Not long after that, according to the PC statement, Hilliard began shooting through the window.
Even though the curtains were closed, the witness said he could see through them and recognized the shooter as the woman who had leaned into the window.
Another witness said they saw Hilliard waving a gun around outside after the gunfire stopped, the PC statement says.
Hilliard declined to make a statement to police. Investigators recovered eight .40 caliber shell casings near the window and recovered a .40 caliber handgun from Hilliard's residence. Detectives also noted that Hilliard's front door is about six feet from the window that was shot through.
RELATED: Colorado coronavirus latest, April 9
The entire state of Colorado is under a stay-at-home order due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Aside from outdoor exercise, trips to the grocery store and essential work, Coloradans have been instructed to stay at home.
The Denver Police Department is limiting the amount of in-person contact officers have with the community to ensure proper social distancing. During an interview with 9NEWS on Wednesday, Chief Paul Pazen said some crimes in the city are down.
Pazen said there has been an uptick in commercial burglaries, prompting increased patrols in some areas.
Anyone with information about Thursday’s shooting or any other crime is asked to call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-STOP. You can be anonymous, and tips that lead to an arrest could come with a reward of up to $2,000.
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