One of the people charged in connection with a shooting in Denver after the Nuggets' 2023 championship win has pleaded guilty.
Ricardo Vasquez pleaded guilty Friday to one count of attempted murder and one count of intent to distribute a controlled substance.
The shooting broke out around 12:30 a.m. on June 13, 2023, at 20th Street and Market Street, about three and a half hours after the Nuggets won their first NBA title. The shooting injured 10 people, three of whom were in critical condition. Denver police said different shell casings were recovered from the scene, so it was clear more than one firearm was fired, and later added that the motive appeared to be drug-related.
Watch a preview of the filming process from June 2023 in the video below.
Police later determined that Vasquez fired several shots into a large crowd of people.
Denver police said Vasquez, who was 22 at the time, fled the area but was taken into custody a short distance later near Park and Blake streets. He was injured in the shooting.
10 people were injured in a shooting in downtown Denver after the Nuggets won the NBA championship
Denver police later searched a nearby vehicle believed to be connected to the shooting and discovered a second firearm on the floorboard. The driver of that vehicle, identified as Raoul Gottfried Jones, then 33, was taken into custody on a charge of possessing a weapon as an ex-felon, police said. He pleaded guilty in November, and is scheduled to be sentenced on February 6.
Additionally, Kenneth Blakely, then 24 years old, was arrested on June 23, 2023 in connection with the shooting. Blakely was charged with attempted first-degree murder and first-degree assault. His trial is scheduled for mid-April.
Drug deal likely led to mass shooting in Denver after Nuggets win
Under the plea agreement, Vasquez will be sentenced to 35 years in prison on March 21.
βVasquez's guilty plea ensures that he will pay dearly for his actions that night,β said the Denver District Attorney. βI hope this case sends a message that Denver will not tolerate dangerous behavior of this kind, and that violent criminals will be prosecuted to the To the maximum extent permitted by law. I would like to thank the prosecutors and investigators in my office, as well as the investigators with the Denver Police Department, whose amazing work led to the successful resolution of this case.
At the end of June 2023, Denver7 spoke with one of the injured victims about that night downtown and his road to recovery.
The man has been released from the hospital two weeks after the shooting while celebrating the Nuggets' championship
