Suspects sought in shootings that killed 1, hurt 1 in Denver

DENVER (AP) — A man was shot and killed and another was wounded during a string of crimes that also included a carjacking and a robbery, Denver police said Wednesday.

Police said there are at least four male suspects, and they remain at large and are considered armed and dangerous.

Matt Clark, commander of the department’s Major Crimes Division, said police initially responded to a report that the suspects were breaking into a vehicle in southwest Denver and that one of them brandished a handgun when bystanders approached. The suspects, who have not been identified, fled the scene in the stolen vehicle and drove to east Denver, where they carjacked a man at a business.

No injuries were reported in the first two confrontations.

Clark said the suspects then traveled a few blocks west and shot a pedestrian after ordering him to the ground during a robbery. The victim, whose name was not released, remains hospitalized in critical condition.

Another man was then shot and killed about half an hour later farther west of downtown near Yeshiva Toras Chaim, an Orthodox Jewish seminary. He was identified Wednesday as 18-year-old Shmuel Silverberg, a student at the school.

“It appears that the victim was walking outside the school when the suspects approached and began firing,” Clark said. “We don’t know if there was any interaction between the two at this point.”

Police Chief Paul Pazen said during a news conference Wednesday it does not appear that the fatal shooting was “bias-motivated,” but investigators are not ruling out the possibility.

Following the shooting, the group is suspected of burglarizing a business in the Denver suburb of Lakewood and stealing another vehicle.

Police offered a reward of up to $2,000 for information leading to their arrests.

Authorities are looking for three vehicles that were involved in the crimes — a 2018 maroon Honda CRV, a 2020 dark blue Toyota Camry sedan and a 1998 black Toyota RAV 4 SUV.