DENVER — One woman was critically injured and a man was dead after a shooting in in lower downtown Tuesday afternoon, the Denver Police Department said.
Police responded quickly and shut down a number of streets in the area while they dealt with an active shooting scene.
Police said the shooting happened at 2:42 p.m. inside the Alliance Center at 1536 Wynkoop St. The scene was secure at around 3:30 p.m. after it was determined there was no further danger to the public, police said.
Investigators finished inside the building late Tuesday night and it was turned back over to property managers. A building manager said the building will be closed Wednesday and reopen Thursday.
Denver police spokesman Doug Schepman said a male suspect was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. He said the woman was shot multiple times and is in critical condition at Denver Health Medical Center.
Schepman said the victim appeared to be targeted and it did not look like a random shooting, but he emphasized it was still early in the investigation.
Escape from the shooting scene
People ran out of the building when the shooting happened.
Nicole Arnone works at the Rocky Mountain Institute’s LoDo office. It is located on the third floor of the building where the shooting took place.
The shooting occurred on the floor below her. She was wearing earbuds and she couldn’t hear the shots. But her co-workers heard the gunfire and screams. They went to the stairwell, which was riddled with bullet shell casings.
“[Co-workers said] ‘We just heard a few loud bangs and some loud screams’ and said ‘I think we need to get out of the office,’” Arnone said.
They ran down the stairwell.
“We found and saw bullet casings in the stairwell. … I just ran out the nearest door and ran a couple blocks away,” Arnone said. I’m just thinking ‘What if I had been walking up the stairs? What if I had been on the second floor at that time?’ All I could think was, ‘When was the last time I spoke with my family?’ I just got off the phone with my boyfriend a few minutes before and ‘What was the last thing I said to him?'”
She said she was OK and also believes similar incidents are going to continue to happen.
“It’s going to be tough every time,” Arnone said.
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