A man was killed and a woman was injured in two separate, but apparently connected, shootings at Highlands Ranch’s Main Event late Saturday night, Douglas County sheriff’s officials said.
In a Sunday morning news conference, Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly said multiple shots were fired inside the “packed” arcade off of Centennial Boulevard at 11:51 p.m. Saturday. He said the event center, which was scheduled to be open for two more hours, was still filled with people.
Weekly said that a deputy just down the street responded to the shooting in less than a minute and found a man armed with a gun in the parking lot.
The man ignored multiple commands from the deputy to drop the weapon and, when he turned toward the deputy, was shot, Weekly said. It’s not clear if the man pointed his gun at the deputy.
“Life-saving efforts” were made, but the man died from his injuries in the parking lot, Weekly said.
The man will be identified by the Douglas County Coroner’s Office.
Inside Main Event, one unidentified woman was shot in the chest by a 23-year-old Denver woman, sheriff’s officials said. Paramedics took the victim to the hospital, where she is expected to survive, and the 23-year-old was arrested on suspicion of first-degree assault and attempted first-degree murder.
The man’s association with the women and the shooting inside Main Event isn’t clear, but Weekly said investigators believe the two shootings are connected.
“(It was a) very dangerous, chaotic scene and we still have a lot to work through, but this could have been much worse,” Weekly said.
The parking lot shooting will be investigated by the 23rd Judicial District Critical Incident Response Team. Sheriff’s officials said the deputy involved will be on paid administrative leave until the end of that investigation.
Any witnesses or people with information on the shooting inside Main Event should contact Douglas County investigators at 303-660-7500.
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