"Crime in this neighborhood is horrible," said Justin Lloyd, the owner of Star Bar at 2137 Larimer Street, during a community meeting on June 18. "In certain areas of town at certain points throughout the day, just put police back on the streets, and whether that's on foot, on a motorcycle, or on a bicycle or on a horse or whatever, I think it would make a big difference."
About thirty Ballpark residents attended the meeting and expressed similar concerns to the Denver Police Department.
The Ballpark Collective Registered Neighborhood Organization has been holding monthly meetings with residents and police for the past two years; the Ballpark Collective RNO formed the basis of the Ballpark District General Improvement District (GID), a taxing entity set up last year by voters living near Coors Field to fund public services.
The neighborhood's liaison with the DPD, Lieutenant David Albi, told residents and business owners that the Ballpark District had a 19 percent decrease in overall crime when comparing the period from January to May to the same period in 2024. However, the already scheduled meeting came after a fatal early-morning shooting on Sunday, June 15, in the parking lot of 2229 Blake Street, which is the address for Zi Lofts condominiums and 4Play, a bar and restaurant on the ground floor of the condos. Some Zi Loft residents at the meeting had witnessed the killing; one person was subsequently arrested for the homicide.
A verified Zi Lofts resident who asked to be anonymous tells Westword that he and his wife were woken up by three gunshots in the middle of the night, and then heard sounds of screaming and wailing.
"There was, like, a pause and then we heard one woman yelling, 'They shot my brother in the head!'," the resident recalls. "It just went on and on and on, even after the police came...the human element of it, women screaming and people yelling for help, that's really hard to hear. You kind of have a visceral reaction to it. It's gut-wrenching."
According to the Denver Medical Examiner's office, the person killed in the shooting was 23-year-old Claivon Duncan. His obituary says that he worked with the Denver Rescue Mission, a homeless shelter in the Ballpark District, as a resident advisor. The man arrested for the shooting, 34-year-old Deonte Minyard, is now facing first-degree murder charges, according to DPD.
Residents of the condo building said they had concerns about the bar before the shooting. Several raised questions about 4Play's business license and accused the restaurant of violating its good neighbor agreement, a legally binding document setting out rules and expectations between businesses and registered neighborhood organizations.
"We have a lot of people here who, for them, that shooting was the last straw," Zi Lofts resident Lisa Young said during the meeting. "This has been a disaster over there."
4Play, open since March 2024, bills itself as a place with a "premier kitchen and cocktails." Young said that out of fear of crime, neighbors tried to stop the bar from getting its cabaret license, which is required for places offering alcohol and live entertainment.
At the June 18 meeting, police told Ballpark residents that they don't have much information to share, but believe the shooting was the result of an argument that started in the parking lot. But residents who seemed to have done some investigative work themselves said that 4Play security guards saw the two involved in the shooting walking out together and that the two appeared friendly.
"If [the suspect] had the gun, did he enter that club with that gun?" Young asked. "Those are questions I hope can get answered."
"If [the suspect] had the gun, did he enter that club with that gun?" Young asked. "Those are questions I hope can get answered."
The city, businesses and residents of the Ballpark District have put more resources into keeping their area safe and clean during the past two years. The U.S. Post Office near 21st and Curtis streets used to be home to the largest homeless encampment in Denver before Mayor Mike Johnston targeted it with a series of sweeps in 2023, when he was trying to house 1,000 people in six months.
Last November, Ballpark business owners and residents voted to create a Ballpark General Improvement District, which has since led to the creation of a safety ambassador program run by the Kentucky-based urban services contractor Block-by-Block. The ambassadors are meant to make the neighborhood feel safer and cleaner by helping police monitor criminal activity and patrol the area at night. They also deal with issues related to homelessness, clean up litter and bodily fluids, and ask people to move out of the way of businesses.
Kate McKenna, the executive director of the Ballpark GID, called the June 15 shooting an "isolated incident," but still wants the city and DPD to do more for the neighborhood.
"This incident highlights the urgency and importance of the reallocation of resources that the community has long been requesting from agencies sworn to protect and serve," McKenna said at the meeting. "The Ballpark General Improvement District will continue to advocate for increased access to services while holding complacent businesses, systems, departments and administrations accountable."
4Play did not respond to a request for comment.
