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Man suspected of shooting 2 in Denver was called racial slur just beforehand, police say

Suspect held for investigation on murder charge
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Posted at 4:15 PM, Jun 18, 2020
and last updated 2020-06-18 18:15:28-04

DENVER – The man accused of shooting two people Wednesday in east Denver was called a racial slur by one of the people who was shot just before the shooting, according to a probable caused statement for his arrest.

Lessie Steve Britton, 75, was arrested in connection to the shooting and is being held for investigation on a murder charge after the shooting Wednesday afternoon in the 1700 block of N Willow Street in Denver.

According to a probable cause statement for Britton’s arrest, a witness recorded the altercation between Britton and the two other people and showed the video to a police officer.

In the video, according to the officer who wrote the probable cause statement, a man called Britton “a racial slur” and Britton “immediately produces a handgun and shoots [redacted] once in the chest.”

The PC statement, which redacts some names and details involving the shooting, says that officers arrived to find two people shot, including one person with “an obvious gunshot wound to his chest.” Officers at the scene were told that the shooting followed a verbal altercation between neighbors.

The man who was shot in the chest, who has not been identified, was taken to University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead about 40 minutes after the shooting. Police said Wednesday the other victim was hospitalized in critical condition.

Someone related to Britton called police at the scene and told them that he had called and said he had just shot someone and was going to the police station to turn himself in, according to the probable cause statement.

But Britton pulled up alongside a police car near MLK Blvd and N Monaco Street and told an officer something related to the shooting, though exactly what was said is redacted in the report. After that, the officer took Britton into custody.

The probable cause statement says that officers found a handgun magazine with live rounds in his pocket and a handgun on the front passenger side of the vehicle.

The witness who filmed the fight and shooting talked to the officer and showed him the video. The officer wrote that the video “clearly shows BRITTON’s face during the event.”

And the officer saw Britton while he was in custody and wrote that he could say with certainty Britton was the same person shown in the video shooting the others.

Court records do not show when Britton’s next court date is scheduled for.