Magazineemptying “gun battle” in LoDo, evidence suggests
Denver police arrested a second suspect in connection to a shootout in front of a PF Changs in downtown Denver early Sunday morning that injured three.
Investigators arrested Nickie Rico, 36, on Monday in connection to the shooting. Rico, who suffered a gunshot wound to the arm, is being held on suspicion of attempted firstdegree murder with extreme indifference and firstdegree assault, police said. Police arrested another man, 35yearold Armando Durete, on Sunday on suspicion of the same charges in connection to the shooting.
An unidentified woman was shot in the torso during the incident and was transported to Denver Health Medical Center in critical condition.
The shooting happened just before 3 a.m. Sunday in a busy part of LoDo with many bars near the intersection of 15th and Market streets.
Investigators believe that three different guns were used in the shooting, suggesting a “gun battle” where shots were fired across 15th street, according to police documents.
A witness to the shooting told police she was standing by a taco truck parked at the intersection of 15th and Market streets when she saw a group of people arguing, according to the documents. A man then started shooting, she said.
Video surveillance of the area next to the PF Changs at 1415 15th St. shows a man placing an object behind a brick pillar in a parking lot next to the restaurant. Po lice later searched that spot and found a handgun that “appeared as if it had been fired until the magazine was empty,” police documents state.
Police found Rico in the passenger seat of a Buick next to a semiautomatic handgun with blood on it. Police also found a handgun underneath the car.
Rico declined to speak to investigators as he recovered at the hospital. Durete initially said he was willing to make a statement and said Rico was his brother. Durete later declined to be interviewed without a lawyer.
Photos of the men were not available Tuesday because the investigation is ongoing. Police are asking anyone with information related to this incident to contact crime stoppers at 720913STOP.