Two people were killed on Easter Sunday when a shootout erupted at Russell Square Park in Denver, police said. One suspect in the shooting has been identified but will not face charges.
Denver officers responded to the park in the city’s Cole neighborhood, 3600 Vine St., at 6 p.m. on April 5, according to a news release from the police department.
Paramedics took two victims — a 43-year-old woman and an 18-year-old man — to the hospital, according to the release. The woman died shortly after, and the man spent a week in the hospital before he died from his injuries on Sunday, police said. Both victims will be identified by the Denver Office of the Medical Examiner.
Investigators believe the two were attending a family gathering at the park when shots rang out between a vehicle driving by and a 34-year-old man attending the gathering, police said in the release. The 34-year-old is believed to have fatally shot the woman.
The man has not been publicly identified, and the Denver District Attorney's Office "determined that homicide charges would not be filed" against him "due to no reasonable likelihood of conviction," police said. Other charges are still being considered.
The Denver District Attorney's Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Police found the suspect vehicle abandoned roughly four hours after the shooting, according to the department. It was a stolen vehicle, police said.
The fatal shooting of the 18-year-old man, the identities of the suspects in the vehicle and the motivation behind the shootout all remain under investigation, police said.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
