A celebration over the Denver Nuggets’ first-ever NBA title win was interrupted by gunfire early Tuesday morning, wounding nine people.
At approximately 12:30 a.m. gunfire broke out among a crowd gathered about a mile from the Ball Arena who were celebrating the Nuggets defeat of the Miami Heat Monday night, The Associated Press (AP) reported. (RELATED: Denver Nuggets Win First NBA Championship In Franchise History After Defeating Miami Heat In Five Games)
BREAKING: Nine people were injured — three critically — in a shooting in Denver and a suspect was taken into custody, police said. The shooting happened about a mile from Ball Arena, where the Nuggets defeated Miami to claim their first NBA title. https://t.co/y8askp49X4
— The Associated Press (@AP) June 13, 2023
Police in Denver announced nine victims of the shooting have been identified, including one suspected of being the shooter. Out of the nine injured, three were listed in critical condition, while the other six – including the suspect – sustained injuries that appear to be non-life-threatening.
“As far as what led up to this altercation that resulted in the shots being fired, that’s still under investigation at this time,” police spokesperson Doug Schepman said, according to The AP. “It did occur in the area where we had the largest gathering of folks celebrating during the night.”
Schepman observed the crowd had most likely converged as people were leaving bars after the game, telling the press that at the time of the shooting it had “diminished quite a bit.”
Police are still interviewing witnesses in what Schepman described as an ongoing, “expansive” investigation.