An Adams State College freshman in town visiting his family was killed in a drive-by shooting in the Cole neighborhood, police say.
The 19-year-old man, whose name has not been officially released, was pronounced dead at the intersection of Bruce Randolph Avenue and Williams Street at about 9 p.m. Thursday, said John White, Denver police spokesman.
Three people, including the victim, were in a vehicle that came to a stop when another car pulled alongside. Someone inside the second car fired a single shot, White said.
Police said they haven’t determined whether gangs were involved, but Cathy Maestas, 47, a distant relative of the victim, said she believes the shooting was gang related.
Maestas, whose 16-year-old son, Geronimo Maestas, was gunned down after refusing to give up his Broncos coat in 1993, said she did not believe Thursday’s victim was a gang member, but added that the shooting had signs of being connected to gangs.
“When we lose a good, young kid, I flash back to what happened to my son. It’s hitting home again,” she said. “They’re running amok. They’re killing innocent kids. We don’t need to keep burying our kids.”
Another passerby, Levi Johnson, 47, said he arrived at the scene a short while after the shooting.
“I just got off the bus from jail” and saw about 20 police officers in the area, he said, adding that he had just served two days for shoplifting.
“It was nothing new. Almost every day there’s a shooting in this neighborhood,” he said.
Johnson said a lot of gang shootings in the area don’t get reported.
The victim was an ambitious person who wanted to go somewhere in life, said a 19-year-old former classmate of his at Bishop Machebeuf Catholic High School in Denver.
“He was just a real happy guy and would help anybody out if he could,” the former classmate said. Her mother asked that she not be identified for her safety.
Detectives were searching for a dark-colored car that may have been involved in the incident, White said.
Staff writer Kirk Mitchell can be reached at 303-954-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com.
