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Pat And Shannon Huhn Identified As Couple From Cincinnati Shot While Renting Car In Denver

(CBS4) - A man and his wife visiting from Cincinnati are the two people who were shot while renting a car in Denver Friday afternoon. Pat Huhn died following the shooting, and his wife, Shannon, was hospitalized for her injuries, Huhn's employer and a local high school principal confirmed to CBS4.

Three heartbreaking days later, the answers are few and far between for those close to Pat and Shannon Huhn. In town from their home in the Cincinnati area, the loving couple was confronted by a gunman in Denver.

Huhn
(credit: CBS)

Police said it all happened at the Enterprise Rent-A-Car near South Broadway and 3rd Avenue. Pat was shot and killed, and Shannon was hospitalized for her injuries, Kurt Ruffing, Principal at Elder High School in Cincinnati, confirmed.

"Pat is an '85 grad of Elder," Ruffing said. "They have two sons, Brian and Ben, who graduated in '16 and '18."

The suspect was arrested minutes later inside a nearby liquor store. Police say Derron Harris is now facing murder charges. Investigators don't believe he knew the Huhns.

Derron Harris (arrested, 3rd Broadway Shooting, from Denver PD tweet)
(credit Denver Police Department)

"Why people do stuff like that, who knows," said Kurt Ruffing, principal of Elder High School in Cincinnati. "It sounds like they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Ruffing got news of the shooting Saturday morning and sent a message to staff later that day asking for prayers for the Huhn family. He said Huhn was a proud alumnus of the high school and was very involved in his sons' band careers.

Since the shooting, many other graduates of the school have reached out to see how they can help the family, Ruffing said.

"What happened to this couple is very sad and senseless and I want people to know that this is a very good couple," he said. "They're the nicest people, would do anything for you, so he is definitely going to be missed. I know he's going to be missed by his classmates."

TriHealth President and CEO Mark Clement said Huhn was also a "highly respected and well-liked" member of the company's pharmacy team.

"TriHealth was devastated to learn last week about the tragic shooting in Denver in which Pat Huhn was killed and his wife severely injured," Clement said in a statement to CBS4.

enterprise shooting (2)
(credit: CBS)

The Enterprise location has a sign saying it is temporarily closed. In a statement, a company spokesperson said Enterprise is actively cooperating with law enforcement in their investigation.

"We are horrified and deeply saddened by the senseless act of violence that occurred at our Denver branch location on Friday," the statement said. "We are heartbroken this event resulted in Mrs. Huhn's injuries and Mr. Huhn's death, and we mourn with their family who has been impacted by this unimaginable tragedy."

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