DENVER — There’s no question there has been a lot of police tape, flashing lights, and fear in parts of Downtown Denver this month.
Three people were shot near the 16th Street Mall and Union Station last week. Two shootings happened right near each other on 19th street at the beginning of the month. One of them involved police shooting a man officers say had a gun. And another shooting happened this weekend on the 17th.
It feels like a lot.
"Yeah that’s been the hard part, dealing with that type of situation down here downtown," one witness to a shooting outside Union Station in August, said.
In total, Denver Police said they’ve responded to more than 30 shootings so far this year in the entire downtown area. At least four have been fatal. Is that a lot? Less than most years? 9NEWS asked DPD for the numbers.
Through Aug. 20 of this year, there have been 32 shootings in Denver Police District 6, which covers all of downtown, Capitol Hill and Cheeseman Park.
In the same time frame last year, there were 66 shootings in the same area.
In 2022, there were 52 shootings, and in 2021, there were 46.
The number of nonfatal shootings downtown is down more than 50% this year compared to the same time last year, according to Denver police.
"It is hard for our city no matter where these incidents occur to really ensure that people feel safe and want to come back," Courtney Garrett with Downtown Denver Partnership, said.
The city is working to improve the 16th Street Mall to get people to come back after the pandemic. Police have also increased patrols in LoDo and tried to get people to move out of the area quickly when the bars close on weekends.
"We’re hoping with the dispersant of the crowds, the patrons, that safety will increase," Commander Kimberly Bowser with the Denver Police Department, said.
While the numbers show the shootings are down, even one, still feels like one too many.
Violent gun crimes including assault, sex offenses and robbery are also down around downtown, though at a lesser rate. Year-over-year, those violent gun crimes are down 25% downtown. They're at their lowest number in four years.
All of the data provided to the public by the Denver Police Department is here.