Shell casings from a gun led to the arrest of a Denver man in connection with three recent shooting incidents.
Anthony Dennis has been charged with attempted murder and burglary. According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Dennis on Jan. 27 attempted to rob a home in the 3300 block of Milwaukee Street and fired multiple shots at the home owner after being confronted.
Later that night, he attempted another break-in in the 3600 block of Monroe Street, police say. In that instance, Dennis shot and injured the homeowner’s Bernese Mountain dog, and stole multiple items of personal property, authorities say.
Two days later, Dennis allegedly had a dispute with a male individual in the 3300 block of Josephine Street and fired multiple rounds at the victim, officials said.
In each of the three cases, shell casings were recovered and entered into National Integrated Ballistic Information Network and the Crime Gun Intelligence Center. The latter is a partnership involving ATF; Denver Police Department; Aurora Police Department; Lakewood Police Department; the district attorney’s offices for Denver, Arapahoe, Adams and Jefferson counties; and the U.S. attorney’s office.
The shell casings recovered in the 3300 block of Josephine Street matched the shell casings recovered during the Jan. 27 incidents. A CGIC investigation, which revealed that the same weapon was used in all three incidents, identified Dennis as the suspect. He was arrested and was charged Feb. 11.
“The collaborative effort between ATF, DPD and the DPD Crime Lab allowed us to determine the shooter’s identity within days,” said ATF special agent in charge Luke Franey. “Dennis is a dangerous, habitual shooter with no regard for life or safety. The Crime Gun Intelligence Center leveraged NIBIN technology quickly, which allowed our investigators to explore leads before they went cold.”
