Police said it was not immediately clear whether the shooting was linked to opposing rallies by far-right and far-left activists
DENVER – One person was fatally shot in Denver on Saturday amid opposing rallies between far-right and far-left activists, although police did not immediately link the shooting to the dueling protests
Filming took place at 3:37 p.m. local time near the courtyard of the Denver Art Museum as the protests ended, officials said
Video shows a single shot and several police officers rush to the scene, shouting: « Drop the gun! » A man can be seen lying on the sidewalk as officers surround him
The victim was taken to hospital, where she later died, Joe Montoya, head of the police department’s investigative division, said at a press conference on Saturday night
« There was a verbal altercation at the site of the shooting, » he said, refusing to relate the shooter and the victim to the protests until the police complete their investigation
The victim and the gunman were white men, Chief Montoya said They have not been publicly identified by the authorities
The gunman was immediately taken into custody at the scene, he said, adding that another person was initially taken into custody but was later found unrelated to the shooting
The Denver Post reported that a member of its staff witnessed the shooting He said a man sprayed another man with a sledgehammer and the man who was sprayed fired a gun fist
Chief Montoya did not confirm this report but said a mace box was recovered from the scene
Denver Police and staff from the Arapahoe and Douglas County Sheriff’s Offices were present at the protests before the shooting
When asked why there was such a police presence, the chief replied that it was because « we had two groups with opposing views »
Denver Communist member Chelsea Jacobs said Saturday’s event, which the group called a Black Lives Matter-antifa soup drive, was held in response to a « Patriot Muster » that the group had seen advertise about a week ago
The ‘soup rally’ was meant to be ironic in response to comments that far-left protesters are throwing cans of soup, she said
Ms Jacobs said she was at the north end of the park, where police had moved the group she was with, and the shooting happened at the south end of the park
Right-wing group protesters filmed the Denver Communists over a temporary fence that separated the two sides, but the groups did not physically clash, she said
“Time to roll,” activist John Tiegen wrote on Twitter “BLM, Antifa and associated Marxist associations are attacking everything we love and cherish in this country”
This was not the first time opposing groups clashed in recent months, as racial unrest and looming elections sparked protests across the country
In Denver, businesses near the location of Saturday’s protests have been warned of the potential for violence after clashes in early summer Socialism and Liberation Party protesters disrupted a pro-police rally in July, and the two groups engaged in fist fights, CBS 4 reported
On August 29, a man affiliated with a right-wing group was shot and killed in Portland, Ore.The city has been staging protests against police brutality since early summer
Some Black Lives Matter protesters in Portland have taken a more confrontational approach, going to residential and largely white neighborhoods with megaphones and shouting for people in their homes to show their support
There have also been cases of people driving towards protesters In July, Summer Taylor, 24, was beaten and killed while on a march in Seattle
Denver, Demonstration
World News – US – Denver gunshot amid dueling protests, police say
