Two shootings near Manual High School were related, police say
Two shootings occurred near Denver’s Manual High School over the past week. Initial investigations found that both incidents were related.
On Saturday night, a suspect shot and killed a man — later identified by the Office of the Medical Examiner as 37-year-old Marvin McCullough — around 7 p.m. in the area of East 29th Avenue and North Gilpin Street.
Three people were injured in a shooting in the same exact area three days later on Tuesday around 9:20 p.m.
The Tuesday shooting occurred at the public vigil for McCullough, according to the Denver Police Department (DPD). During the vigil, a group of attendees were involved in a confrontation that escalated to shots being fired, the department said.
Both incidents happened near Manual High School and McAuliffe Manual Middle School.
Residents in Whittier told the Denver Gazette’s news partner, 9News, that they’re fed up with all the violence.
“We heard about 20 gunshots and one of the bullets went into our house,” said Matt Broida, who lives in the area. “It blew out the tile. But that was enough to stop the bullet.”
Broida said his house was hit during Tuesday night’s shooting.
“It came into the master bath and out a shower tile, and so we heard something shatter,” he said.
“Not everybody within the school district was aware that this had occurred so because of that there was no communication to families,” said Scott Pribble, Director of External Communications at Denver Public Schools (DPS). “If something would have happened in this park during school time, we definitely would have had a difference response within the building.”
Both shootings happened off-campus and outside of school hours. The district said no students were involved, and the schools were not damaged.
Broida said Tuesday night wasn’t the first time his home was damaged during a shooting. In the last three years, he said they’ve been hit seven times. Now, he’s worried for number eight.
“There’s no question that the park and the high school are the focal point for shootings in this community,” said Broida.
All three victims in the Tuesday shooting are expected to survive, according to DPD. Police have yet to make an arrest in either shooting.
“While these shootings did not occur during school hours and did not involve students, DPD’s School Resource Officers will work with DPS security personnel to monitor for safety issues near the school and DPD is conducting extra patrols in the area,” the department said.
9News contributed to this report