JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — Police have arrested two young men who have been wanted for weeks on suspicion of murder.
Jessie Vargas-Vigil, 21, and Gemini Garcia, 20, each face counts of first-degree and second-degree murder, along with a count of aggravated robbery, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
Vargas-Vigil is also accused of hurting a Denver police officer during his arrest and faces a separate count of second-degree assault. “That officer sustained a separated shoulder and other minor injuries,” the Sheriff’s Office said.
Shooting led to hours-long shelter in place
Both men were wanted in an Oct. 12 shooting that led to an hours-long shelter-in-place order for residents in the area of Depew Street, in an apartment complex southwest of Hampden Avenue and Sheridan Boulevard.
Deputies responded that Wednesday morning to the 3600 block of South Depew Street on a report of a gunshot wound. There, they found a wounded man in the driver’s seat of a pickup truck that was parked in a parking lot. The man was pronounced dead at an area hospital at 10:45 a.m.
Witnesses reported two males running from the scene, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Investigators soon tracked down video that showed two suspects joining a third person in a gold Chevrolet truck at the apartment complex.
Deputies cleared several buildings in the area and issued a shelter-in-place order while they searched for the suspects, the Sheriff’s Office said at the time. They soon found the driver of the truck in the 2400 block of West 29th Avenue, but not the suspects.
Arrest records show both men were booked on Monday. As of Tuesday, Garcia was being held in Jefferson County, while Vargas-Vigil was being held in Denver.
RAVEN, or the Regional Anti-Violence Enforcement Network, “played a significant role in the apprehension of Vargas-Vigil, who was considered an armed and dangerous suspect,” the Sheriff’s Office said. The task force includes investigators from multiple local and federal law enforcement agencies.