I-25 Police Shooting and More Metro Denver Labor Day Weekend Violence

Many people enjoyed time off during the extended Labor Day weekend. But violence didn't take a holiday, as witnessed by multiple shootings and stabbings across metro Denver from September 2 through September 5, capped by a fatal officer-involved shooting that closed a section of Interstate 25 near Thornton for around five hours at one of the worst times imaginable.

The weekend was busy for the Denver Police Department, whose chief, Paul Pazen, had just announced his retirement several days earlier; his designated replacement, Ron Thomas, is already on the job. At 3:31 a.m. on Friday, September 2, the Denver Police Twitter account reported a stabbing on the 1300 block of Pearl Street, in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. An adult female victim was transported to an area hospital with injuries not thought to be life-threatening.

Then came two crimes time-stamped within five minutes of each other. At 7:50 a.m. on September 2, the department sent out an alert about a stabbing on the 2300 block of Curtis Street, in the Five Points neighborhood; the victim was identified as an adult female. And at 7:55 a.m., Denver police tweeted about a shooting and carjacking that occurred on the 2100 block of South Sheridan Boulevard, on the western edge of the Harvey Park South neighborhood; there was no word about the extent of the injuries to the male victim.

The violence didn't slow after that.

At 1:25 a.m. on Saturday, September 3, Denver police reported a shooting near the intersection of 22nd and Stout, also in the Five Points neighborhood; an adult male victim suffered a gunshot wound. And at 2:24 a.m., word came down about a shooting on the 1200 block of South Bellaire Street, in the Cory-Merrill neighborhood. The victim was identified as a juvenile male who was expected to survive.

Cut to 2:10 a.m. on Sunday, September 4, when Denver officers were called to the area of West Mississippi Avenue and Federal Boulevard in Mar Lee regarding a stabbing; an adult male victim was hospitalized and the cops took another person into custody. This incident was quickly followed by a stabbing reported at 2:16 a.m. on the 1500 block of South Irving Street, again in Mar Lee; an adult male was hurt and a second person was fitted with cuffs. "This does not appear to be related to the other stabbing at Federal," the DPD tweeted.

The Aurora Police Department handled a shooting on Monday, September 5: At 3:39 a.m., the APD tweeted about gunshots in the area of Iliff and Havana that seriously injured a man.

But Thornton was soon the center of attention.

At around 8:30 a.m. on September 5, according to a release from the Thornton Police Department, officers were dispatched to what was described as the 8500 block of Interstate 25 following multiple 911 calls about a man walking in traffic on the interstate. One woman said she'd nearly hit him with her car.

Upon their arrival, the cops located a 29-year-old man, but after attempting to talk to him, he allegedly produced a weapon, prompting a Thornton officer to open fire. The man was hit and later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

The TPD release doesn't provide information about the length of time between first contact and the trigger being pulled, instead focusing on procedures; the investigation was turned over to the 17th Judicial District critical-incident-response team, and the officer has been placed on administrative leave, per standard protocol. But the impact on drivers, including those trying to get home early after taking advantage of the long weekend, was substantial: I-25 was closed for around five hours between 84th Avenue and Thornton Parkway, finally reopening at about 1:30 p.m.

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