A weekend shooting in Park Hill has received relatively little attention.
One reason: The serious injury that resulted didn't end in death.
But the incident, which happened a little over a mile from an attempted gundown of a man as he put his baby in his car late last month, raises the possibility that a brief calm in gang violence that has shaken Park Hill and the Cole neighborhood may have been broken.
The first official word about the incident came via this Denver Police Department tweet, sent out on Saturday morning, May 9:
ALERT: (1/2) #DPD Responding to the area of 25th Ave between Elm St. And Fairfax St. on a shooting.
— Denver Police Dept. (@DenverPolice) May 9, 2015Here's an interactive graphic showing the area near the scene. If you have problems seeing the image, click "View on Google Maps."
The DPD followed up with a second Twitter note:
#ALERT: (2/2) #DPD Male victim transported to hospital in serious condition. No suspect information. Updates will be made as available.
— Denver Police Dept. (@DenverPolice) May 9, 2015Apparently, said updates haven't been available, since there's been silence since then. The DPD has not yet confirmed that gangs were involved in the latest shooting, although speculation is rife that this is the case.
A few news agencies showed up at the scene, including 9News, which tweeted this photo:
Overall, however, there's been precious little coverage of the incident. This suggests that, unfortunately, shootings in Park Hill and neighboring areas are becoming increasingly routine.
But incidents like this one shouldn't be overlooked. As anti-gang advocate Reverend Leon Kelly recently told us, tensions among rival gangs divided by race — he refers to them as the "blacks" and the "browns" — are rising due in part to the gentrification that has taken place in the area.
He believes the influx of affluent residents is shrinking gang territory, forcing combatants into closer and closer proximity and causing them to fight over shrinking pieces of the pie.
The previous Park Hill shooting noted above took place near 33rd and Krameria, a mile-plus from 25th and Fairfax. Kelly believes the former was related to an attack near 35th and Williams, in Cole, that hurt one man and killed another, Dominique Perez.
Of course, gang warfare in these areas was hardly unknown prior to gentrification, as this Twitter user notes:
If you have information about any of these cases, you're encouraged to contact the Denver Police Department at 720-913-2000 or Crime Stoppers at 720-913-STOP (7867).
Send your story tips to the author, Michael Roberts.
