Dusten Fischer, Expectant Father, Stabbed Nine Times in Lodo

Dusten Fischer and his beloved, Ashleigh, are expecting the birth of their first child together — a boy they've already named Brantley — on February 19. But less than a week away from that date, Fischer is in critical condition at Denver Health after being stabbed nine times during an altercation in Lower Downtown.
Here's how the situation is described on a GoFundMe page set up after Fischer's hospitalization.

In the early hours of the morning on February the 8th 2015 Dusten was brutally attacked in the downtown area of Denver. Dusten was stabbed approximately 9 times in addition to the stab wounds he also sustained numerous lacerations on his back. He will be in intensive care for at least a week and may have to stay in the hospital for longer. Once released he is going to have a long road ahead of him to recovery. The timing of all this could not have been worse as Dusten and Ashleigh are expecting their first child together in two weeks. Their baby boy "Brantley" is due on the 19th of February. It is unknown as of now how long Dusten will be out of work. He doesn't have any sort of disability insurance and with the pending birth of their son, Dusten and Ashleigh are going to need as much financial help as they can get.

This is is where we reach out to you, their friends and family for support. Or maybe you are someone who doesn't know them, but their story touches your heart.

Thanks for all of the love and support during this difficult time.

The lack of disability insurance is particularly worrisome given the new arrival expected to join the family in days — a blessed event anticipated by numerous photos on the couple's shared Facebook page. Here's one example....
...and another:
As for what led to Fischer's injuries, Fox31 reports that he and co-workers were on the 1900 block of Market Street at about 2:15 a.m. Sunday, February 8, when an argument broke out involving him and two men, later identified as Mario Lopez-Ramirez, 24, and Francisco Herrera, 23. About what, we don't know.

In any event, the situation soon escalated into violence. Lopez-Ramirez allegedly pulled out a knife and began stabbing Fischer. Herrera is also said to have been slashed by Lopez-Ramirez, but speculation suggests that his injury was accidental.

A booking photo of Lopez-Ramirez has been released, but not a mug shot for Herrera, presumably because he was initially taken for medical care as opposed to being immediately put into custody. They were jailed on suspicion of first-degree assault.

The most recent update on the GoFundMe page about Duncan's condition is less than upbeat:

Yesterday February 8 at about 5 am one of the wounds on Dustens back riped a little farther and started sucking air into his lung cavity. This resulted in a collapsed lung. The medical staff immediately sprung into action and placed a tube into that side of his chest and his lungs appear to be functioning normally at this point. He has a stab wound in the upper section of his left arm that they believe has hit his radial nerve. As a result he has little to no feeling in his left hand and also has very little mobility in the section of the arm below the wound.

At this time, Dusten remains in critical condition. Donations to the GoFundMe page have exceeded $5,000, with an overall goal of $30,000.

Meanwhile, Ashleigh posted a CBS4 story about the attack on her Facebook page along with a two-word description: "Just wow."

Here's that piece, followed by Lopez-Ramirez's mug shot.


Send your story tips to the author, Michael Roberts.