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Man arrested in murder investigation after deadly shooting at Denver apartment complex

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Posted at 7:03 PM, Jan 20, 2022
and last updated 2022-01-24 17:39:05-05

DENVER – A 47-year-old man was arrested Wednesday for investigation of second-degree murder after he allegedly shot and killed a man who had broken into an apartment complex lobby.

The shooting happened just before 6 a.m. Tuesday at the Advenir at Bear Valley Apartments in southwest Denver. The victim was identified as 30-year-old Damir Pugh.

According to a probable cause statement, a security guard got a call from his boss, 47-year-old Brad Biggie, shortly before the shooting that a security alarm was going off at the complex.

The security guard arrived and saw a man trying to take money out of a vending machine in the leasing office, according to the probable cause statement. He believed he saw a knife in the man’s hand, so he closed the door, called Biggie and then 911.

Biggie arrived shortly afterward armed with a handgun, according to the probable cause statement. While the security guard was on the phone with dispatch, he heard two gunshots and told the dispatcher to send an ambulance.

Paramedics took Pugh who was shot to Swedish Medical Center, where he died just before 6:30 a.m. His cause of death was determined to be from a gunshot wound.

Biggie agreed to speak voluntarily with Denver police, but the portion of the probable cause statement that contains the details of the conversation is redacted.

But when officers went to the apartment complex, they found two shell casings on the floor and video cameras throughout the area.

Police reviewed the videos and found the man who had broken in was running from Biggie when the first shot was fired. According to the probable cause statement, four seconds later, Biggie fired another shot as the man was facing away from him.

The medical examiner found two gunshot wounds – through the man’s legs and his torso, from back to front – which combined with the video, led investigators to believe the man was facing away from Biggie when he was shot.

The officer who wrote the probable cause statement said they tried to speak with Biggie again on Wednesday before placing him under arrest for investigation on the second-degree murder charge.

The Denver District Attorney’s Office will determine whether or not Biggie faces formal charges.