Two people were shot in Denver after the Nuggets’ NBA championship parade on Thursday, according to police.
A gunman opened fire and struck two men at around 12:30 p.m. near 17th Street and Curtis Street, just steps from the Nuggets’ parade route in the city’s downtown, cops said.
“This is well after the parade and after the festivities in Civic Center Park. I understand there were people leaving the downtown area when this incident occurred,” Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas told reporters Thursday afternoon.
Thomas said the shooting appears to be a “targeted incident.”
“We believe that this was completely unassociated with the parade and subsequent events,” the chief emphasized.
The two male victims were taken to Denver Health in “serious condition” but receiving treatment, police said.
No arrests have been made, but police have a photo of the suspect at the scene and are working to identify him.
Separately, a Denver cop was seriously injured when he was struck by a firetruck carrying members of the team near the end of the parade route at W. 13th Avenue and Cherokee Street around 11:30 a.m., Thomas said.
The “highly decorated” vet’s leg got caught underneath the truck after it made a turn around a corner while the officer was trying to protect people who were in the street.
The officer, identified as Justin Dodge, suffered a “limb-threatening” injury and was taken to Denver Health Hospital where he underwent surgery to save his leg, a hospital rep said.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
The shooting near the parade route comes just three days after 10 people were wounded in a shooting while thousands were out celebrating the Nuggets’ championship victory over the Miami Heat.
Denver Police said multiple shots were fired into a small crowd following an altercation that possibly stemmed from a fentanyl drug deal.
Multiple bags of the deadly opioid were recovered at the scene.
Nine men and one woman suffered gunshot wounds, but none of the injuries were life-threatening, a Denver Health Medical Center official said.
Officers arrested two men at the scene — Ricardo Vasquez, 22, for possession of a controlled substance and weapons possession, and Raul Jones, 33, for possession of a weapon by a previous offender.
“Here we are again talking about someone endangering the lives of people who came to celebrate,” Denver Mayor Michael Hancock said at Thursday’s press conference after both shootings.
“I want to thank the million or so people that came out today, who did the right thing celebrating the Denver Nuggets and our championship,” he continued.
“But rest assured our Denver PD will not arrest until we apprehend those individuals who were responsible for the shooting that unfortunately injured two people. Shame on them for once again marring what had been otherwise a pretty successful event for the state of Colorado.”
