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Mayor Hancock Calls For End To Violence After Deadly Weekend In Denver

DENVER (AP/CBS4) - Denver's mayor is urging gang members in his city to stop the violence.

Michael Hancock
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock (credit: CBS)

Mayor Michael Hancock was joined at a news conference Monday by his police chief and city council members following a string of weekend shootings that killed four people. He addressed gang members and said, "We are strongly encouraging you to put your guns down, because this is going to end up in one of two ways," death or jail.

VIDEO: News Conference: Mayor Hancock, Chief White Address Rash Of Denver Shootings

Hancock and Police Chief Robert White also called on witnesses to step forward. White said three of the weekend's killings were believed to be gang-related, and police struggle to find witnesses who would cooperate when it comes to gang-related crime.

Robert White
Denver Police Chief Robert White at the news conference on Monday (credit: CBS)

One person died at the scene and another later in the hospital in the first shooting, which happened early Sunday outside an apartment complex in the Lowry neighborhood.

"A lot of times when there are shootings between different gang members, it's normally some kind of retaliation," White said. "So it is a possibility that there is some friction between the two gangs."

Police then responded to three more shootings at different locations in less than 12 hours between Sunday evening and Monday morning. Two people were killed in the first two shootings, and police say a person wounded in the third is in stable condition.

RELATED: 4 Murders Take Place In 24 Hour Period Over Weekend

Police have arrested a suspect in one of the shootings, which White said Monday was the one that was not gang-related.

While crime overall is down in Denver, gang violence is increasing, White said.

As police investigate, community leaders search for their own answers. Activist Brother Jeff Fard with Brother Jeff's Cultural Center says the violence has to stop, but it won't until solutions are found.

"One of the things that really disturbs me is that there have been multiple shootings, not only these four, but almost daily in this community and many people do not realize that that is taking place," Fard said. "We'd like to know who's being shot, we'd like to know who's being involved, and we'd just like to know the enormity of the situation," Fard said. So we'll be looking for those answers."

(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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