The ambush killing of Denver Detective Donald Young and wounding of Detective John Bishop, both shot early Sunday as they worked off-duty security at a private celebration, are grim reminders of the dangers that police face daily.
Our condolences go to Young’s wife and two young daughters for the loss of their husband and father and to Young’s colleagues in the Denver Police Department. We wish Bishop a speedy recovery.
Young, on the force 12 years, has been described as an exemplary cop.
He held the department’s highest awards, including Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, 10 official commendations and two commendatory letters.
Young may be the first Denver officer killed working off-duty. In Jefferson County, William J. Truesdale, a sheriff’s deputy, was killed in 1986 while working off-duty as a bank guard.
Young and Bishop both were wearing body armor but were shot from behind by a cowardly assassin who came out of the shadows just as a family celebration was breaking up at Salon Ocampos. Young was shot three times, including once in the head. Bishop was wounded in the back, although not seriously.
The gunman, described by witnesses as in his 20s, fled the scene. Investigators were not certain if the shootings were tied to an incident earlier in the evening when a group of would-be party-crashers was run off.
Most Denver officers have worked as off-duty security jobs, according to Sgt. Mike Mosco, president of the Denver Police Protective Association, the union for most of the city’s police. “These officers are providing a needed service,” he said.
Many private venues – especially with liquor – often have house rules requiring off-duty officers for private events, according to department spokeswoman Virginia Lopez. Denver officers must be in uniform at places where liquor is served. “It’s a deterrent,” Mosco said. “How inclined will a person be to do something outside the scope of the normal if a uniformed officer is standing there?”
After questioning witnesses, police produced a sketch of the suspected shooter, and we urge anyone with additional information to come forward and call CrimeStoppers at 720-913-STOP. A $50,000 reward has been offered.
At times of tragedy, a community must come together and reaffirm its values of life. It’s essential that justice be done. Meanwhile, we mourn the loss of a decorated hero who was one of the city’s finest.
