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Taxi Driver Victim Of Deadly Shooting, Police Search For Gunman

DENVER (CBS4)- Police in Denver asked for the public's help in finding a gunman who shot and killed a taxi driver early Saturday morning. Investigators are confused as what the motive was.

Police in Denver were called to conduct a welfare check on a taxi driver in the 20000 block of E. Mitchell Place, south of Green Valley Ranch Boulevard on Himalaya about 6:30 a.m.

The driver, Darren Bloomquist, 49, was found with fatal gunshot wounds. Police say he had just pulled into the neighborhood to pick up a passenger when he was shot and killed.

The owners of an SUV that was struck by the Metro Taxi cab told CBS4 that the cab was in motion when the driver was shot.

Darren Bloomquist
Darren Bloomquist (credit: Metro Taxi)

"Seeing somebody dead like this far away from me and it was just really sad. How is his family going to react?" asked witness Aleytxa Mendez.

"It looked like he got hit in the head with something. You could see, his face was swollen and he had a big gash on his forehead," said witness Gary Gentilcore.

Gentilcore and Leah Pierce first awoke at 5 a.m. to the sound of a crash and saw the cab parked outside their home.

"I thought he pulled over because he had accidentally run into a car," said Pierce.

"And we didn't hear a gunshot at all," said Gentilcore. "Before they pulled out the body we saw them laying a bunch of money out on the truck of the car, so before we thought it was a robbery."

"It wasn't a little bit of money. It was like, stacks of cash," said Pierce.

Investigators are trying to figure out a motive behind the shooting.

"At this point, the motive is very open. We're still trying to narrow that down," said Denver Police Tech Eranda Piyasena. "All avenues are being looked at."

Police have not released a suspect description.

"It is very odd. You know, I can't remember the last time that something like this happened," said Piyasena.

Bloomquist had been a driver with Metro Taxi for four years. Metro Taxi said in a statement that "He was a valued part of the Metro family and was regarded as one of our top drivers. He was personable, good humored and was happy to serve the people of Denver."

"I and the rest of the Metro Taxi team are devastated to hear that this has occurred," said Robert McBride, the president of Metro Taxi Denver in a statement. "This is not just a loss for Metro Taxi but to Denver community at large to lose such a special person. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.

"We will not rest until Darren's killer is caught," said McBride.

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