But Penaloza is not merely a stat. He's a man whose life was taken from friends, family and loved ones outside the Lowery Heights apartments on East 12th Avenue -- and Denver cops think teenager Tyree Bowen pulled the trigger. Details, photos and video below.
On Saturday, the Denver Police Department sent out a series of tweets about the incident, including this one:UPDATE: DPD responded to shots fired call 8000 E. 12th. 1 Hisp male fatal in rear/parking lot, witnesses,no SUSP identified at this time.
— Denver Police Dept (@DenverPolice) October 19, 2013
At approximately 3:56 a.m., according to the DPD, a man subsequently identified as Penaloza, 27, was shot and killed outside the apartment complex, located on the 8000 block of East 12th. Neighbors reportedly heard a series of pops around that time, and the Denver coroner's office confirms that Penaloza's death came as a result of multiple gunshot wounds.
As noted in the tweet above, no suspect information was released in the immediate aftermath of the slaying. But now, the DPD has named a suspect: Tyree Bowen, eighteen.And he's not simply being referred to as a person of interest. Rather, the department notes that he has an active warrant for first-degree murder in Penaloza's death.
The whys and wherefores of the homicide haven't been shared at this point, and neither have authorities confirmed or denied residents' supposition that gangs may have been involved; they're said to be active in nearby Verbena Park.Likewise, Bowen's location is currently a mystery, which is why investigators encourage anyone with details about him to phone Crime Stoppers at 720-913-STOP (7867); a reward of up to $2,000 is being offered for info.
In the meantime, our condolences to those in Penaloza's life.
Here's a 7News report about the shooting, broadcast prior to the naming of Bowen as a suspect, followed by his booking photo and an interactive graphic showing the area near the scene. If you have problems seeing the image, click "View Larger Map."
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More from our Mile High Murder archive: "Zachary Cooper claimed he was God and had killed the devil in 28th and Adams homicide (19)."
