Here's a little more about a young man whose life ended far too soon.
According to his Facebook page, Gianopoulos was originally from Riverside, California. He subsequently relocated to Aurora, where he graduated from Rangeview High School in 2010.
Clearly, he was proud of being from Colorado, as he bore a "303" tattoo on his arm, which can be seen reversed in a mirror shot shared on Facebook:
In April 2011, Gianopoulos began working at King Soopers as a courtesy clerk and checker -- a reference still listed as current at the time of his death.Here's how Gianopoulos described himself:
Yall jus hit me up if u tryna kno who i am, aint no need to type alot. im a good person, goten into trouble a few times, now im a man. thats all about my paper...thats all u need to know.His favorite quote was from Tupac Shakur -- "Only God can judge me" -- and he was clearly a big hip-hop fan. After his death, one of his brothers posted a series of videos (one from Tupac, a couple more from 2 Chainz) in memory of Matthew. Another of his siblings created the following collage: On his own page, Gianopoulos featured the following image: At this writing, no arrests have been made in the Gianopoulos homicide, and the Denver Police Department hasn't released any additional information. However, Crime Stoppers is offering up to a $2,000 reward for anyone with information that leads to an arrest in this slaying. The number to call is 720-913-STOP (7867). Continue for our previous coverage, including an interactive graphic of the area near the crime scene. Original post, 8:59 a.m. October 4: Less than an hour before the presidential debate at the University of Denver got underway yesterday evening, police officers were dispatched to a very different part of the city: Green Valley Ranch.
There, they found a man who'd been shot. He died shortly thereafter, and a homicide investigation is underway. See where it happened below.
Specific are lacking in the information issued by the Denver Police Department thus far. According to DPD spokesman Detective John White, officers were dispatched to 4567 North Biscay Street at approximately 6:05 p.m. last night. Upon their arrival, they discovered a man who'd apparently been shot. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Thus far, the victim has not been identified -- that info will come from the Denver coroner's office -- and neither have any potential suspects. Anyone with knowledge about the crime or the person behind the gun is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 720-913-STOP (7867). A reward of up to $2,000 is on the table.
Here's an interactive graphic of the area near the scene. If you have problems seeing the image, click "View Larger Map."
More from our Mile High Murder archive: "German Medina, knife lover, still missing but charged with murder of Bertha Garcia (33)."