Two men remained hospitalized Friday with serious injuries they suffered when gunfire broke out in Lower Downtown early Tuesday morning.
The incident occurred near the corner of 20th and Market streets after throngs of people celebrating the Denver Nuggets’ NBA championship had largely dispersed. Police believe the incident was drug-related.
Beca Barraza said she and her boyfriend, Keith Sablan, went downtown to celebrate the big win. After most people left, they were sitting on concrete barriers along Market Street when trouble started up the block.
She said they were “watching intensely because there’d been a lot of fights that night.” They hoped it was nothing more than a “regular stupid fight that’s going on.”
“But then we see the guns being pulled out,” Barraza said. “I see the sparks fly, and I immediately fall backward and take cover from the concrete slabs.”
A moment later, she realized Sablan was still on the ground.
“I’m assuming he’s fine,” she said. “I’m not expecting the worst. I’m assuming he’s still laying down because he’s too scared to get up.”
Then she saw another friend start screaming Sablan’s name.
“That’s when it hits me that he got hurt,” she said.
She said Sablan suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen that injured vital organs and another one to the leg. He underwent surgery Friday to repair the leg, she said.
One of Sablan’s friends, Trejon Hamilton, was with him and was also shot and wounded. He also remained in the hospital Friday.
Both families have started fundraising efforts to help them with expenses.
Tim Burke, a friend of Sablan’s, plans to arrange a series of fundraisers at area restaurants.
“He’s in pretty rough shape,” Burke said. “He’s got a long road of recovery ahead of him – but he’s in really high spirits. He’s just that kind of guy that’s, you know, going to have a smile on his face and cracking jokes even in these circumstances.”
Denver Police arrested two men at the scene of the incident, which injured 10 people. Both of them face weapons charges. No one has been charged with actually firing the shots that injured people.
Burke said he remains stunned at what happened to people who simply went out to join others in celebrating Denver’s first NBA championship.
“I mean, you leave your house to go celebrate the city and celebrate the win, and it was such a high moment – and then it went so low, so fast,” Burke said. “I just think that we’re all still in shock a little bit, still trying to process exactly what’s happening and what the future looks like.”
Contact 9Wants to Know investigator Kevin Vaughan with tips about this or any story: kevin.vaughan@9news.com or 303-871-1862.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Investigations & Crime