Nine July 4 Weekend Shootings in Denver and Aurora, One Death

Over the Independence Day weekend, fireworks made plenty of noise — and so did gunfire. At least nine shootings took place in Denver and Aurora July 2 through July 4, and one of them was fatal.

Five of the incidents were reported by the Denver Police Department and the Aurora Police Department last night. Among the victims was a woman who appears to have been injured by a bullet that fell from the sky, presumably after it was fired in a celebration of July 4.

News of the weekend's first shooting in Denver came via the DPD Twitter account at 4:05 a.m. on Saturday, July 2. The location: the 600 block of East 49th Avenue, in the Globeville neighborhood. Four individuals were transported to an area hospital with wounds not thought to be life-threatening.

That evening, at 9:19 p.m., another shooting occurred on the 6100 block of North Salida Street, in far northeast Denver in the airport neighborhood. The victim was taken to a hospital via a private vehicle with non-life-threatening injuries.

At 11:05 p.m. the next evening, July 3, Denver Police noted an investigation of a shooting close to 18th and Welton streets, in Denver's Central Business District. The victim, taken to a hospital in a private vehicle, was expected to fully recover.

The next three shootings went down within three hours of each other on July 4. At 9:19 p.m., the DPD issued a bulletin about a shooting on the 2100 block of West Pacific Place, in the College View/South Platte neighborhood. This time, three victims were hit; no information has yet been shared about the extent of their injuries.

At 10:29 p.m., reports came in of a shooting on the 1800 block of East 27th Avenue, in the Whittier neighborhood. A single victim with non-life-threatening injuries was taken to a hospital in a private vehicle.

Finally, at 12:21 a.m. today, July 5, investigators were on the scene of a shooting near the intersections of Albrook Drive and Carson Street, in the Montbello neighborhood. An adult female was taken to the hospital

The Aurora Police Twitter account was busy over the weekend as well, with the first news tweeted at 2:19 a.m. on July 3; a subsequent APD blog post revealed that police dispatch received word of a shooting in a parking lot at 15064 East Mississippi Avenue at 1:45 a.m. The male victim was subsequently pronounced dead at a local hospital. No description of a suspect was immediately available, but detectives believe the suspect left the scene in a light-colored four-door pickup — perhaps a GMC or a Chevrolet.

Word of two more gun-violence episodes in Aurora came after sunset on July 4. First was the shooting of an adult male near 1780 Boston Street; he suistained non-life-threatening injuries. APD reps believe a suspect fled in a black sedan, possibly a Honda.

Then, at 10:52 p.m., came this alert: "An adult female suffered a graze wound from what appears to be a stray round that fell from above her. The woman was not transported & the injuries were minor. Please DO NOT recklessly shoot guns into the air. Those actions can seriously injure or kill someone."

Anyone with information about any of these incidents can contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-STOP (7867).