9 shot, 1 killed, at lounge in Denver, Colorado

Nine people were shot in the parking lot of a lounge in Denver during a confrontation between two groups, killing one person and injuring eight others, according to police.

The shooting happened just after midnight Monday on the outdoor patio and in the parking lot of Ultra Lounge at 9755 East Hampden Avenue. Officers were initially called for a disturbance before receiving another report of shots fired while they were on the way.

Officers found one man wounded in the parking lot and provided medical aid before he was taken to a hospital, where he died.

Eight other victims were taken to area hospitals by emergency crews or arrived on their own. Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas said all eight suffered gunshot wounds of varying severity but are in stable condition.

Investigators believe the shooting followed an earlier confrontation between two groups at an event in Aurora, east of Denver. Several people from that event later gathered for an afterparty at Ultra Lounge, where the groups confronted each other again.

The confrontation began on the patio and continued into the parking lot before gunfire erupted in both areas. Evidence indicates that at least two guns were fired, but no weapons have been recovered.

“There were two groups who were in conflict, and I think they were engaging with each other,” Thomas said. “It was targeted in that sense, but not targeted in the sense that people came here with the intent to shoot someone.”

Police have descriptions of possible suspects, but no one has been identified or arrested. Investigators are also trying to determine whether all the victims were involved in the confrontation or whether some were bystanders.