August 12, 2016 VO LUM E 1 5 | IS S U E 38 | FREE
LET PEACE RING OUT Area churches sound bells to honor victims of gun violence. PAGE 12
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Wife says suspected killer ‘just snapped’ Recordings of victim interviews are played at hearing for Kevin Lyons By Kyle Harding kharding@coloradocommunitymedia.com
Children crowd around Casa Unida Foundation members Bob Moore Jr., left, and Mercedes Espinoza as they hand out Toys for God’s Kids wooden cars to children of poor families in the northern Nicaraguan rural village of Hermanos Martinez. The foundation team was in Nicaragua on another project and took time to distribute the toys to about 100 children. Photos by Tom Munds
Toys delight Nicaraguan children Wooden cars were built by local resident and organization By Tom Munds tmunds@coloradocommunitymedia.com
Toys for God’s Kids wooden cars come in two sizes. The two smaller ones, called pocket cars, were made by Centennial resident Bob Wing. The larger car was made by volunteers in a Douglas County retirement community.
Wooden cars created in Centennial resident Bob Wing’s basement workshop and cars made by other Toys for God’s Kids volunteers produced ear-to-ear smiles as they were placed in the hands of children in a small village in northern Nicaragua. The toys were delivered by a team from Casa Unida Foundation, an allvolunteer organization based in Lake-
The wife of a Centennial man suspected in the murder of a local doctor told investigators he had been acting erratically in the days before the April 4 shooting. “My husband just snapped,” Elizabeth Lyons said in a recorded interview at a hospital hours after the shooting. A judge heard that interview and others in an 18th Judicial District courtroom in Centennial on Aug. 5 before finding probable cause for Kevin Lyons, 46, to stand trial. He is accused of killing Lyons Kenneth Atkinson, a wellknown doctor who lived next door to the Lyonses in the Homestead Farm II subdivision, and shooting Elizabeth Lyons and neighbor Laurie Juergens. Investigators say he also shot at two other neighbors and the first Atkinson two police officers who responded to the scene. Kevin Lyons was denied bond at the hearing as Judge Carlos Samour Jr. found there is significant evidence that he committed the capital offense of first-degree murder for killing Atkinson. Lyons continues on Page 4
Toys continues on Page 8
Event helps police build relationships National celebration brings officers and residents together
AROUND THE FIELD Turning a double play in softball can also turn a team’s momentum. Check out this story and others as we kick off three weeks of fall sports previews on PAGE 22.
By Casey Van Divier Special to Colorado Community Media The gathering was set to serve many purposes in just 2 1/2 hours: It would be a summer event, an ice cream social and a community-building campaign. But for one young woman, the reason she came to Centennial Center Park for National Night Out was specific and unique. “My fiancé is the canine decoy for tonight’s demonstration,” Victoria, who wouldn’t give her last name, said jokingly. “I wanted to see him get attacked.” Along with a captivated audience, Victoria watched as sheriff Deputy Joe Van Hook played a criminal in the event’s canine demonstration. At Deputy Gordon Carroll’s command, K-9 Thor sunk his teeth into Van Hook’s thick protective gear, wowing the crowd. Police continues on Page 6
FOR THE GOLD Five local Olympians compete in Rio this week. Catch up on how they did in their sports on PAGE 26. Deputy Brian McKnight of the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office speaks about HawkQuest with a great horned owl perched on his arm. “If we didn’t take these birds in, they would be destroyed,” McKnight told children attending the Aug. 2 National Night Out event in Centennial. Photo by Casey Van Divier