A woman who was shot to death outside her home Wednesday night was scheduled to testify as soon as Monday in an attempted-homicide trial.
Kalonniann Louisa James-Clark, 28, was killed before she was able to testify in a case against Brian Kenneth Hicks, 27. Hicks is accused of firing a pistol at James-Clark on June 12, 2005, from a moving car, according to Denver District Court records.
Two men broke into James- Clark’s duplex apartment Wednesday night demanding drugs and money at gunpoint, according to a search-warrant affidavit.
Her husband, who was in the apartment with James-Clark, said he ducked when shots were fired and ran out of the apartment. James- Clark also ran out of the apartment, was shot to death in the front yard and fell on the sidewalk of her duplex in the 100 block of Harrison Street, between Colorado Boulevard and Cherry Creek North, the document says.
James-Clark’s mother said the woman left behind four children, three boys and a girl aged 2 to 9 living with their grandmother in Ponchatoula, La.
“I tried to get her to come home,” said Ann Clark, 56. She said her daughter was not concerned about testifying because Hicks was in jail. James-Clark was to return to Louisiana after the trial.
Police found James-Clark’s body about 11 p.m., according to Virginia Quiñones, Denver police spokeswoman.
Denver police said they have no suspects in the shooting but are investigating all leads.
Hicks had been free on a $200,000 bond on the attempted- murder case until he was arrested Nov. 9 for intent to distribute 1,000 grams or more of a controlled substance, court records say. He has been in jail since then.
In the 2005 incident, Hicks allegedly fired a .40-caliber handgun repeatedly at James-Clark in the 900 block of Acoma Street at 2:29 a.m., a police record says.
During the shooting, Hicks allegedly shot a car driven by another woman, the police report says. Neither woman was hit, and police arrested Hicks hiding in the 900 block of Bannock Street wearing a bulletproof vest and carrying a gun magazine containing 10 .40-caliber bullets in one of his pants pockets, according to court records.
James-Clark identified Hicks by name at the time, police said.
Hicks was charged with the two attempted-homicide counts, possession of a handgun by a previous offender and illegal discharge of a weapon. His trial, scheduled for Monday, has now been postponed.
Hicks has an extensive criminal history including four arrests for obstructing police and three arrests for assault.
On Thursday, neighbors said they heard as many as four gunshots – three in quick succession and shortly after, a fourth.
Police found a shell casing and a cellular phone in the driveway of the apartment, according to the search-warrant affidavit.
Next-door neighbor Rolando Diaz said the shooting victim had been living in the two-story brick duplex for about three weeks. He said at least two other people lived in the apartment.
Staff writer Kirk Mitchell can be reached at 303-954-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com.
