Surviving victims from Park Hill shooting in Denver released from hospital, two dead

Five of seven victims who were hit in a mass shooting at an after hours gathering over the weekend have been released from the hospital, but two died from their wounds, according to Denver police.

Officers responded to a shooting at the Hell’s Lovers Motorcycle Club at 5514 E. 33rd Ave. at 3:09 a.m. on Sunday morning.

Six of the victims were adult males; one was an adult female.

Denver police said that multiple guns were used outside of the club and they are working to determine whether there were shots fired inside the building.

Nearby resident Shareef Aleem told The Denver Gazette that he and his family were awakened by gunshots.

“I heard a barrage of gunshots and I thought it was firecrackers at first,” Aleem said. “Then three to five seconds later, I just heard a bunch of people screaming, yelling. I got up out of bed and looked out my window and people were jumping into vehicles and driving off as fast as they could. A lot of screaming.”

He added: “I did see a couple of people carrying an injured person to a car and put them in the car and drove off.”

The shooting took place in an area of Northeast Park Hill known as “The Holly,” which is the subject of a controversial book and documentary by Julian Rubinstein about the area’s violent history.

The book — “The Holly: Five Bullets, One Gun, and the Struggle to Save an American Neighborhood” — traces the story of Terrance Roberts, a former Bloods gang member from Denver’s Northeast Park Hill turned anti-gang activist and mayoral candidate.

It covers the history of Northeast Park Hill over several generations, weaving a narrative of gentrification, economic oppression, race, violence and police misconduct.

Roberts will be in Los Angeles Tuesday for a screening of “The Holly” in Los Angeles.

“It’s ironic that this shooting happened the weekend before. Two people dead and five wounded,” Roberts said. “You won’t find mass shootings like this in Pittsburgh, Chicago or L.A.”

The book has had its critics, who say it paints a “Hollywoodized” picture of the area as singularly defined by gang violence and that it reinforces stereotypes about Black neighborhoods.

After several people walked out of the after-hours club on Sunday morning, police placed three of them in handcuffs. They did not say whether any of the victims fired shots.

Denver SWAT team members arrived on-scene around 9:30 a.m. after a search warrant of the nightclub’s building was granted. No one else was found in the building, police told The Denver Gazette.

Police are looking for witnesses to help locate suspects who may have been involved in the shooting. There have been no arrests in the case.

Any witnesses who left the location or have information about the shooting are encouraged to contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867.

Source: The Denver Gazette