In the moments after its appearance in an announcement by the Denver coroner's office, the name Jose Frias-Olivas didn't score a single hit when surrounded by quotation marks for a Google search.
Unfortunately, that's no longer the case — because Frias-Olivas has been identified as the victim of a weekend homicide at a park near the intersection of Federal and Vassar.
The 61-year-old was found shot to death, and initial reports about a possible suspect who subsequently led police on a car chase didn't prove to be accurate.
As such, there are no publicly identified suspects in the case at this writing and many more questions than answers.
The first word about the incident, which is said to have taken place around 10:20 a.m. on Saturday, August 15, came via this Denver Police Department tweet.
BREAKING: #DPD at Federal & Vassar on report of a shooting 1-Vic. No suspect info. Ongoing investigation.
— Denver Police Dept. (@DenverPolice) August 15, 2015The location corresponds to a portion of Harvard Gulch West Park.
The area is captured in the following interactive graphic. If you have problems seeing the image, click "View on Google Maps."
Less than an hour after its first tweet about the shooting, the DPD followed with an update.
Unfortunately, the news was grim.
BREAKING: Update shooting at Federal & Vassar is a homicide the Vic died at the scene. Additional info as it become available.
— Denver Police Dept. (@DenverPolice) August 15, 2015Meanwhile, more police activity was stirring in the neighborhood.
Fox31 was among the news agencies that shared a report about a possible suspect spotted nearby.
A car chase ensued, with one witness who spoke to the station describing the pursuit as looking like a scene from an episode of Cops.
But after the driver was taken into custody on outstanding warrants and a charge of eluding police, he was cleared as a suspect in Frias-Olivas's slaying.
Since then, the case has essentially mirrored the investigation into the shooting death of Derick Wilford on the 2100 block of Stout Street early Thursday morning, August 12:
A victim shot to death, but no suspects and no word about motive. Nothing other than statements from law enforcers that the investigation is ongoing.
But at least Frias-Olivas didn't die unmourned. A friend of his appears in the Fox31 package, and she's clearly shattered by what took place.
We offer our condolences to the friends, family and loved ones of Jose Frias-Olivas. Here's the report.
Send your story tips to the author, Michael Roberts.
