A series of shootings involving teenage victims and accused perpetrators has roiled the Front Range in the past two weeks.
The violent string of incidents began on March 22, when a 17-year-old student at Denver East High School allegedly shot two school administrative staff members during a pat-down he underwent each day. Authorities later found the boy’s body in Park County. The two administrators survived.
Since that day, more reports have stacked up: A boy, barely a teenager, shot outside an Aurora mall. A mail carrier allegedly shot by two teenage girls in Lakewood. A potential school threat in Loveland that never materialized, but came when schools are weary from a string of shootings in Denver and Nashville, Tennessee.
Longmont, March 24: A boy died in a hospital from injuries when he was shot and then crashed the car he drove into a pole. The Longmont Police Department have not released the boy’s name or age. Earlier that night the police department received a report of shots near the Twin Peaks Square Shopping Center, and an officer who responded found a group in a “car meet up.” A passenger in a car the officer tried to stop had fled, according to police. The rest of the passengers were arrested and later released.
Aurora, March 25: Phoenix Day, 13, was fatally shot just after 8 p.m. outside Dillard’s at the Town Center mall on East Alameda Avenue. An officer conducted CPR on the boy until paramedics arrived, but he died at a hospital. Off-duty officers working at the mall had responded to a fight among a group of teenagers near the food court. The Aurora Police Department has not announced any arrests as of March 31.
Lakewood, March 27: Two teenage girls allegedly shot at a mail carrier on South Oak Street in Lakewood. Doorbell surveillance footage from nearby homes showed the girls appearing to follow the carrier’s truck and stealing mail and packages. Police shot and killed one of the young women, who the department claims pointed a gun at officers, and authorities caught the other girl that night in Frederick. It appears a third person dropped them off, but police have not found that individual. The 1st Judicial District Attorney’s Office has not yet filed charges.
Denver, March 27: Police have arrested a 17-year-old boy on suspicion of shooting a woman around 7 a.m. on East 56th Avenue during a robbery on the street. The woman is expected to survive, police said. They have not publicly identified the boy because of his age.
Brighton, March 28: Police have arrested a 15-year-old girl in connection with a fatal shooting on North 6th Avenue. Officers conducted a welfare check just after midnight on a man who had not been heard from in several days, and they found him dead in a residence. He has been identified as Joseph Johnson, 44. The teenage girl was arrested in Castle Rock and booked into the Prairie Vista Youth Services Detention Center on suspicion of homicide and motor vehicle theft. Police have not identified her because of her age.
Loveland, March 28: Loveland High School canceled classes for part of Wednesday because of a threat that eventually proved unfounded when police investigated. A tip was sent to Safe2Tell, a state hotline where reports of threats to schools can be made anonymously. Police received another tip later that morning about an unspecified threat to Lucile Erwin Middle School, but it did not materialize either. About 15 staff members left the school campus after the threat, according to the Loveland Reporter-Herald.
Violent crimes involving kids have increased in recent years, reporting by the Denver Gazette has found. Arrests of juveniles accused of violent crimes climbed to 15 per 100,000 in the third quarter of 2021, a 14-year high. The problem has been especially stark in Adams County and other parts of metro Denver.
Correction: This story originally misstated the date of the shooting at Denver East High School. It occurred Wednesday, March 22.
