Two people were killed and five others injured in an overnight shooting outside of a motorcycle club in Denver’s Park Hill neighborhood, police said Sunday.
Denver police officers responded to reports of a shooting at 5514 E. 33rd Ave. at 3:09 a.m. Sunday, said Kurt Barnes, a spokesperson for the department.
Based on preliminary investigation, the shooting appears to be linked to an after-hours gathering at the Hell’s Lovers Motorcycle Club at that address, Denver police Cmdr. Matt Clark said.
Investigators found evidence of multiple guns fired outside of the club, but officers are still determining whether any shots were fired inside, Barnes said.
Barnes said six of the victims were adult men and one was an adult woman, but their names have not been released. One of the victims, an adult male, died from his injuries Sunday morning.
Just after 5:30 p.m. Sunday, the Denver Police Department tweeted that another adult male victim had died from his injuries at the hospital.
The Denver Office of the Medical Examiner identified the victims on Tuesday as Joshua Batts, 39, and Michael David, 44. Batts and David both died as a result of gunshot wounds, and their deaths were ruled to be homicides.
UPDATE: A second victim from the shooting has been declared deceased, an adult male. We are continuing to investigate the circumstances of this shooting, and this is an ongoing investigation.
— Denver Police Dept. (@DenverPolice) November 5, 2023
The extent of the five other victims’ injuries is unknown at this time, police said.
Shareef Aleem, a Park Hill resident who lives nearby, said he heard about 20 gunshots around 3 a.m.
“I thought it was firecrackers,” said Aleem, who woke up from his sleep to the sound. “For about three to five seconds, it was like silence. Then, everybody was screaming.”
He said he watched people jump into their cars and speed away in the aftermath.
On Sunday morning, the parking lot of the shooting scene and the Horizon Lounge, at 3298 Hudson St., remained closed off with police tape.
Kelly Marquez, a Park Hill resident, said she stood outside Sunday morning trying to learn more when she noticed the block was taped off.
“Over the years, there’s been crime off and on in the area,” she said. “They’ve cleaned it up quite a bit since when I was younger.”
Anyone with additional information is asked to call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-713-9867.
The Hell’s Lovers Motorcycle Club made news in Colorado in 2012 when federal agents, Denver police and other law enforcement agencies around the state arrested 19 members of the motorcycle club on various drug and illegal firearms charges.
Then-U.S. Attorney John Walsh indicted the members of the motorcycle gang on a variety of criminal allegations, including stealing and using gear from the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, possessing drugs and using Hell’s Lovers clubhouses in Denver and Commerce City to distribute cocaine and marijuana, according to the Department of Justice.
UPDATE: 7 total shooting victims have been confirmed, one of them, an adult male has been pronounced deceased. There's evidence of multiple guns being fired. The circumstances remain under investigation. Anyone with info is encouraged to contact @CrimeStoppersCO at 720-913-7867.
— Denver Police Dept. (@DenverPolice) November 5, 2023
The overnight incident in Park Hill is the latest in a string of Denver shootings in recent months with more than five victims.
Six people were shot — three fatally — on Oct. 14 at what police said was a party in an industrial area of the city, at 12445 E. 39th Ave.
A 17-year-old is accused of shooting and injuring five people outside Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row in Lower Downtown on Sept. 16 after being denied entrance. Keanna Rosenburgh is being prosecuted as an adult and is facing 28 charges, including seven counts of attempted murder and 15 counts of assault, in connection with that shooting in the 1900 block of Market St.
And 10 people, including a suspected gunman, were injured in a shooting in downtown Denver in June during the celebration of the Denver Nuggets’ NBA championship. Police have said that incident, during which at least 20 shots were fired from multiple guns near Market and 20th streets, may have been linked to a drug deal.
At least three suspects have been arrested in the June shooting.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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