Denver police investigating Friday homicide

The Denver Police Department is investigating a homicide at the Trivium Apartments on Buchtel Boulevard just west of South University Boulevard near the University of Denver.

Shots were fired just after 10 p.m. Friday night inside an apartment, leading to the death of a man, police said.

The victim’s name has not yet been released, but Denver police spokesman Doug Schepman said the victim was not affiliated with the university.

The circumstances surrounding the homicide are still under investigation, but the initial indication is that it was not a random shooting, he said.

No arrests had been made, he said, and police have not released suspect information.

KCNC-Channel 4, Denver’s CBS affiliate, interviewed apartment resident Patrice Mondragon, who called 911 to report the shots. Police arrived quickly, but because the building required a key to get in, Mondragon said 911 operators called her back.

“They called me back and they’re like, ‘Hey, can you let the cops in?’ And I was like, ‘You mean walk into the hallway where the gunshots were happening?’ Which I did,” she told Channel 4.

According to a letter sent to apartment residents, a Trivium Apartments manager said police indicated the alleged homicide is not random and “appears to be isolated to the individual.”

Also, the company hired a “courtesy patrol officer,” who will be on site for the next three evenings for eight hours per night. Management, however, urged residents to call 911 if more crime is suspected or occurring. Staff writer Tamara Chuang contributed to this report.