A soon-to-be-discharged Fort Carson soldier who was last seen walking his dog before he was shot to death early Saturday near his motel along Interstate 70 in Denver, police said Monday night in their first characterization of the crime.
Police later said he was not believed to be walking the dog when he was shot.
Monday afternoon the Denver medical examiner’s office said the man was Anthony Silva, 25, who was killed by multiple gunshot wounds.
Witnesses at the nearby Motel 6 where he was staying on Paris Street south of Montbello said Saturday they heard five to seven shots.
Denver police spokesman Sonny Jackson said more information will be made public today.
Silva was a sergeant stationed at Fort Carson.
He was staying at the Denver motel, waiting for a family member to arrive and accompany him home to Illinois, according to his hometown newspaper, the Monroe County Independent.
Records show Silva is originally from Columbia, Ill., but his most recent address is in the Pacific Hills Point Apartments in Colorado Springs.
A call to his parents’ home Monday afternoon was not immediately returned.
Silva’s body was found at the north end of the 3800 block of Paris Street.
Witnesses at the motel Saturday said they saw three men on the street who appeared to be horsing around, until gunfire erupted.
Family friend Tom Vogt lamented Silva’s death Monday.
“Tony was a fun-loving, always-smile type of guy,” he said in an e-mail.
Vogt said he had heard Silva was staying at the motel awaiting a ride back to Illinois because he was having trouble flying his cat and dog out of Denver.
Jackson said Silva’s pets are staying with family.
Joey Bunch: 303-954-1174 or jbunch@denverpost.com
Clarification. This article has been updated in this online archive. Authorities do not believe Anthony Silva was walking his dog when he was shot.
