Communities try design to improve public safety

State dollars aim to prevent crime with environmental changes

BY BRITTANY FREEMAN AND CULLEN PURSER ROCKY MOUNTAIN PBS

Mike Burns bought a home right on the river near Delta, Colorado, with plans to spend the summers shing outdoors with his grandkids. But those kinds of excursions haven’t always felt safe, since the family learned more about what had been happening in their new neighborhood.

A shooting near Brighton High School March 15 prompted a heavy response from law enforcement. As of mid-afternoon March 15, authorities recovered shell casings near BHS but no weapon.

Three suspects arrested in wake of shooting outside of Brighton High

BY SCOTT TAYLOR STAYLOR@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

all doors were closed and locked, con nement of students to the school and no entry to or exit from the school. Other schools were on “secure stats,” meaning a threat in the area near a school. is was formerly called a “lockout.”

Denke.

“Crime, drugs, theft, things like that,” he said. “Because of the things that are going on, it’s created some anxiety in us.”

One person was wounded after a shooting on March 15 at South Ninth Avenue and Bush Street, near Brighton High School.

“ e school district is working with the Brighton Police Department now and conducting a controlled release,” Domenico said at the 3 p.m. press conference.

A long line of cars outside the city of Brighton’s rapid testing site at Riverdale Regional Park. The site has had to close early many days in recent weeks due to high demand. Adams County’s 14-day test positivity rate was 15.9 percent, as of Nov. 17, according to Tri-County Health Department. Brighton and Commerce City’s test positivity rates were both higher than 13 percent. Forty- ve people in Brighton and 29 in Commerce City have died from COVID-19 related health issues. To limit the spread of COVID-19, at least 15 counties moved to tighter restrictions that prohibits indoor and personal gatherings.

“We believe we have all the suspects in custody at this time,” Brighton Police Chief Matt Domenico said at a press conference at the scene. “We have three individuals in custody, two that were taken into custody at a tra c stop and another that was taken into custody a little later.” e resulting investigation put both Brighton and Prairie View high schools on lockdown, meaning

“ is came out at about 12:30 p.m., and this is lunchtime, and there are multiple schools in the area. ere were a number of students in the area,” Domenico said. “I just want to share that our concern right now is that incidents like this are traumatic for everyone involved, but especially our school community and we do send our thoughts to everyone there.”

Counselors were available March 16 for those who needed them, according to district spokesman Kevin e incident happened near South Ninth Avenue and Bush Street. One victim went to an area urgent care clinic with a gunshot wound and Brighton police tweeted that potential suspects were near East 120th Avenue and Salem Street.

Police searched several classrooms inside PVHS -- not far from the reported sighting -- but did not nd a suspect.

By Ellis Arnold Colorado Community Media

At his press conference, Domenico declined to say how old the people involved in the shooting were or if they were students at either school.

It turns out the Burns family had moved to a 2,000-foot stretch of dirt road that is at the epicenter of roughly 10 percent of every call the small local sheri ’s o ce receives. e sheri sent more deputies to patrol the area but that has left some neighbors even more unnerved.

As Denver metro counties continue to inch closer to local stay-at-home orders under Colorado’s system of coronavirusrelated restrictions, the state announced a new level of rules that prohibits indoor dining and personal gatherings — a change that applies to the majority of the Denver metro area and many counties in other regions.

In a written statement issued later in the day, Brighton Police said that additional juveniles believed to be involved were contacted and detained.

Detectives believe this was an isolated incident and there is no ongoing threat to the community.

e state’s COVID-19 dial, which has been in e ect since September, is the set of di erent levels of restrictions that each county is required to follow based on the severity of a county’s local virus spread. e dial grew out of the state’s safer-athome order — the policy that came a er the statewide stay-at-home order this spring and allowed numerous types of businesses to reopen.

“You’ve got four or ve sheri ’s vehicles parked next to your yard,” neighbor Steve Martinez said. “What are people going to think about what kind of neighborhood it is that you’re living in?” e Crime Prevention rough Safer Streets grant program is providing communities with millions of e state recently switched to color identi ers — levels blue, yellow and orange rather than numbered levels — to avoid confusion. Until Nov. 17, level red meant a stay-at-home order. Now, level red — “severe risk” — is the second-

But there’s a new sense of hope on this rural Delta County road these days, thanks to an infusion of state dollars set aside to prevent crime — not with more police o cers — but with environmental improvements.

Please see RESTRICTIONS, Page 2

Neighbor Betty Hoffman said she heard a noise around 12:30 p.m. but assumed it was fireworks.

“Nothing ever happens around here,” she said. “I just thought it was fireworks.”

BPD spokeswoman Kylynn Delohery said police recovered shell casings near the original shooting scene but no weapons. Police searched Orchard Church next to PVHS and the school’s ballfields without success.

Police used a drone around the original crime scene at Ninth Avenue and Bush Street to do grid mapping of the area.

The schools on secure status were Brighton High School, Vikan Middle School, Prairie View Middle School, South Elementary School, Southeast Elementary School, the Innovations & Options campus and Bright Beginnings campus. 27J added more schools to that list, including Northeast Elementary School, Overland Trail Elementary School, Thimmig Elementary School and Henderson Elementary School. Authorities issued an all-clear shortly before 3 p.m.

The parking lot at Prairie View HS remained closed while police search around the school for a suspect and a potentially related vehicle. Police said there was a “controlled release” by section of the school once the search inside the school was finished.

Police Chief Matt Domenico said police responded to reports of a 12:30 p.m. shooting at the intersection of 9th and Bush Streets March 15. Upon arrival at the intersection, shown, they found bullet casing littering the ground. Neighbor Betty Ho man said she heard something at that time, but assumed it was just fireworks. PHOTO BY SCOTT TAYLOR

Commerce City police, Adams County sheriff’s deputies, Thornton police and the Colorado State Patrol assisted.

Brighton Police are asking neighbors surrounding 9th Avenue and Bush Street to review any camera footage they may have. Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to please contact the Brighton Police Department at 303-655-8740. You may also remain anonymous and contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7876.

Brighton police o er help with auto theft prevention

BY BELEN WARD BWARD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM