DENVER — The Denver Police Department is investigating two separate shootings Monday morning that left a total of three people dead and at least five others injured.
Around 10 p.m. Sunday, the department began investigating a shooting along the 600 block of Federal Boulevard. A woman was shot and the suspect or suspects fled from the scene, police said.
Shortly after midnight, police said the woman had died.
Based on an initial investigation, police say the woman was in a vehicle when a nearby altercation escalated and shots were fired.
Police received a call about the second shooting — this one at Federal Boulevard and W. Alameda Avenue — at 10:38 p.m., about a half hour after they started responding to the first one.
Police said two men died in the shooting at W. Alameda Avenue and four others were taken to hospitals. A fifth person was found later who had been injured in the shooting. The five injured people are expected to survive.
Officers are investigating why and how the violence unfolded. The preliminary investigation indicated that there was an altercation before shots were fired, police said.
Police said the two shootings appear unrelated.
During a press conference Monday morning, Mayor Michael B. Hancock and Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen explained how they are working to address the increase in youth violence. Pazen said at least one of the shootings along Federal Boulevard was a result of rival gangs coming in contact with each other.
"Settling disputes with firearms is never OK in our city. It's not OK," he said. "We cannot tolerate it and we must work together in order to address it."
Anybody with information on either of these shootings is asked to call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867.
