Denver police today named 19-year-old Raul Garcia-Gomez as the man they believe shot and killed Denver detective Donald “Donnie” Young and wounded fellow detective John “Jack” Bishop. He is still at large.
Garcia-Gomez is wanted on suspicion of murder in connection to the fatal shooting.
At a late morning news conference, Denver Police Chief Gerry Whitman said a bulletin with Garcia-Gomez’ photo has been distributed through the FBI to law enforcement agencies worldwide.
He encouraged anyone with information to call police immediately, but cautioned citizens against approaching the “armed and dangerous” man.
“He is treacherous,” Whitman said, “and he will not go easily.”
Police are unsure whether Garcia-Gomez is still in Denver or has fled the area. If he has left, he may be headed to Los Angeles, Las Vegas or Mexico, Whitman said.
Garcia-Gomez is a Mexican national, said police Division Chief Dave Fisher, but it was unclear how long he had lived in the U.S.
Police believe he has been in Denver for about a year. He lived for a time in California and may have family in Las Vegas.
Fisher, the department’s chief of investigations, said police believe Garcia-Gomez may have other aliases, but investigators have found no prior criminal history.
The link to Garcia-Gomez was established through to “hard, hard police work and great cooperation from the community,” Fisher said.
Police are still working several different theories in their attempt to figure out why Garcia-Gomez targeted the two officers, he said.
Whitman said Garcia-Gomez will be caught soon.
“I believe it is just a matter of time,” he said. “We need one more tip. Where is this guy?”
Police initially named Garcia-Gomez as their suspect at a 3 a.m. news conference today.
They described him as a Hispanic male, 5-foot-6-inches tall, 150 pounds with short, shaved dark brown hair, brown eyes, a thin mustache, full face and tattoos on his left arm. He is also known by other names, police spokesman Sonny Jackson said.
Garcia-Gomez may be driving a four-door, white 1995 Dodge Neon, with a temporary Colorado tag of 474-735C.
Police said Garcia-Gomez may be headed for Las Vegas or California, and is considered armed and dangerous.
He was identified late Monday after a tip from a caller.
Earlier that day, officers from the Denver Police Department posted fliers in Spanish and in English offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the suspect, and a composite sketch of his likeness.
Now officials believe Garcia-Gomez is the man who ambushed both Young and Bishop Sunday shortly after 1 a.m. as the detectives worked an off-duty job at the Salon Ocampo social hall at 1733 W. Mississippi Ave.
Both officers were shot in the back. Bishop, who was wearing a bullet-proof vest, was treated and released from a local hospital. Young, who was shot in the head and the side, was pronounced dead shortly after 1:30 a.m. Sunday. He was not wearing a vest, Whitman said.
Since the shooting, 120 detectives have been working on the case, Whitman said, and within the past 24 hours, police estimate they have searched more than a dozen homes in the Denver area as they broadened their investigation.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 720-913-STOP (7867).
