A 14-year-old Denver boy was shot and killed inside the on Thursday night while standing up for his brother during a fight, his family said.
was the victim fatally shot at the rec center at 15555 E. 53rd Ave., family members wrote Friday on a verified GoFundMe page soliciting donations for funeral costs.
Denver Police Department officers responded to a 911 call about a shooting in northeast Denver at 6:37 p.m. Thursday, spokesperson Sean Towle said.
Department officials later confirmed a juvenile male died at the scene, according to
Officers arrested a juvenile male on suspicion of first-degree murder, Denver police said Friday morning. Investigators believe the two minors knew each other and that it was an isolated incident, Chief Ron Thomas said in a statement.
In response to a request for the suspect’s arrest affidavit, Towle said state law prohibits the department from releasing any records involving a juvenile arrestee or suspect.
Mikail’s family described him as bright, caring, responsible and hard-working with a promising future, and that he was dedicated to helping his parents in their landscaping business.
While Denver police did not release additional details about the shooting Friday, Mikail’s family wrote that he was not involved in gangs or street activity and was shot at close range while standing up for his brother during an altercation.
“The loss of Mikail has left his family devastated. No parent should ever have to bury a child, and no sibling should have to endure the loss of a brother in such a senseless act of violence,” family members wrote.
The recreation center is closed and all programs are temporarily canceled.
Mayor Mike Johnston visited the rec center after the shooting Thursday night, city officials said in a news release.
“No statement can capture the grief we feel today,” Johnston said in the news release. “Our hearts are broken. To the family of the victim and the entire Montbello community, know that you have our deepest sympathies and our unwavering support.”
The rec center was largely deserted Friday afternoon. A hand-written sign posted on the door announced the building was closed “until further notice.” Someone had left a small clutch of flowers by the door, next to signs warning that weapons were prohibited and that the building was protected by neighborhood watch.
As he typically did when he was home from school, Arenn Banks had come to the center to work out. But he stopped when he saw the closure sign on the door.
He hadn’t heard about the shooting, but he wasn’t surprised, based on what he’d seen on social media recently.
Still, he said, seeing the doors closed, “Itap like — dang.”
“The community is pretty tight-knit,” he said. He’d moved here in 2021 before leaving for school. “A lot of people know each other or know of each other. Everybody looks out for each other.”
Alex Medrano, 25, was the only skater at the skate park outside the rec center. He said he’d been there Thursday night, too, skating before he went to work.
It had been a typical night, he said. People were at the rec center, and soccer players were practicing on the field nearby. Then he saw a police car with its lights on drive up, hopping the curb and facing the center at around 6:30 p.m. Then more police arrived, along with firefighters. People began leaving, he said, though they left slowly enough that he shrugged it off and went back to skating.
He learned earlier Friday afternoon that there had been a shooting. He, too, wasn’t surprised by the violence, given the age of those involved.
“I feel like kids don’t think about their actions until after they do it,” he said.
He remembered when the rec center opened, and how its parking lots had initially attracted partying kids and trucks doing donuts. But it had become more family-oriented in recent years, he said.
The killing was the second fatal shooting in the area Thursday. Police had responded to another killing near the 19000 block of East 49th Avenue shortly after midnight Thursday.
compared to the same time last year, with Denver police reporting 18 homicides as of Monday compared to 14 at this point in 2025, according to one of the city’s online crime dashboards.
Seven people were shot and killed in Denver in April, including six in 10 days, sparking community outcry during a meeting organized by the Colorado Black Round Table earlier in May.
Of the 18 homicides, six were in the police department’s District 3, which includes Cherry Creek, Washington Park and other south Denver neighborhoods.
Al Gardner, the executive director of the Denver Department of Safety, said the city will keep using “proven violence prevention and intervention strategies that have contributed to significant reductions in violence across our city.”
“Every child in Denver deserves the opportunity to grow up free from fear and violence. Anything less is unacceptable,” Gardner said in a statement.
