DENVER (KDVR) — Residents living near 19th and Market Street in the lower downtown area say they have had enough with the crime happening in their community.
They say in the past six weeks alone, there have been back-to-back shootings and they fear leaving their own homes. The fear stems from a public parking lot located right across the street, where they say illegal activity happens.
Suspect dead, officer sustains minor injuries in Aurora shooting incidentJust last week, police investigated a shooting in the area that injured four people. No word on any arrests, but the video shows a person being lifted off a sidewalk as people took cover.
A person is helped after an incident in Denver's Ballpark district. (Courtesy Alyssa Mance)In the last six months, according to Denver Police crime data, there have been at least five aggravated assaults, with at least two shootings ending with windows being shot through at a nearby apartment complex directly across the street.
Fortunately, no one was hurt in either situation, but neighbors want something to be done before someone gets hurt or worse.
“Since I’ve moved here, the crime has increased a lot, especially within the past six months," said Alexa Cowen, a neighbor at the Fitzgerald apartment complex.
Night after night, she fears living in her own home.
“We’re scared," said Cowen. "There’s people who live on these floors that don’t know if they’re going to be gunshots going through their windows at night.”
FOX31 Newsletters: Sign up to get breaking news sent to your inboxIt happened at her complex located in the 1800 block of Market Street at least twice from August to February. The complex acknowledged the shootings, sending emails to neighbors. One email reads in part:
"Shots were fired in the parking lot across the property, and unfortunately, bullets did enter two occupied units."
Cowen shared this picture of one of the windows shot out.
“What we typically see is cars pull In and don’t particularly pay at the parking pay meter over here. They do some sort of deal with each other," said Cowen. "Something goes array then there seems to be a fight and shootings seem to happen. So, we’re not exactly sure what’s happening. Whether it’s a drug deal or a gang, a fight."
A window that was broken during a shooting in Denver's Ballpark District. (Courtesy Alexa Cowen)FOX31 reached out to Denver Police Department, which referred us to its new downtown safety plan announced last month. In the release the department sent out, it provided its plan for added safety measures in the LoDo area.
There will be 10 extra foot patrols each day to help deter incidents, respond quickly, and be a resource to the community. DPD's mounted horse patrol will be dedicated to downtown. A new DPD Downtown Kiosk at 16th and Arapahoe streets will serve as a hub for officers and give residents and visitors an easy way to get questions answered or report any issues quickly and safely.Cowen says she has seen no improvement.
Investigation underway after caller reports shooting at aircraft near Longmont“We have not seen anything," she said. "Obviously, there was another shooting here last weekend. We have not seen an increase of police officers monitoring this area, monitoring the parking lot. We haven’t seen anything."
It's the reason she started a petition to clean up the crime in her community.
“The goal is to close this parking lot down, or it needs to be monitored and have gates where they actually have to pay to enter the parking lot," said Cowen. "We have so many other parking lots around here where you do have to have to pay, and we don’t see any issues in the other parking lots. If there were police out here and their presence was known, I don’t think they would come in as often and cause these crimes."
She says she believes it's the only way neighbors will feel safe just walking down the street.
“You don’t know what’s going to happen. So, I would say fear is in our eyes, and you have to watch your back. You don’t know what’s going to happen walking into our front door across the street," Cowen said.
Right now, the petition has more than 85 signatures. Cowen says once she reaches 100, she plans to reach out to Denver police to see if they can get the parking lot closed down or monitored. Cowen's apartment complex plans to hold a town hall on June 3 to address the recent uptick in crime, according to an email.
Eggs spill onto I-70 after semi crash in AuroraFitzgerald apartment complex leaders say the city has also accepted their invitation to bring guests next Tuesday. It's a chance for neighbors to weigh in on the effectiveness of the anti-violence efforts and make suggestions on how to improve the area.
In addition to that outreach, they are also taking additional measures. They say that although they don't have authority over the area that seems to be the source of the issues, they are changing patrol companies to accommodate 24-hour dispatch on the property as well as increase patrol walks throughout the day and night.
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