The Denver shooting that injured 10 people after the Nuggets Game 5 win in the National Basketball Association finals was likely drug-related, authorities said Tuesday. Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas said police believe the episode was related to a drug deal and not connected to the celebrations, Axios reports. It happened near the intersection of Market and 20th streets, where dozens of police officers were stationed to monitor celebrations after Monday night's game. Thomas said officers were just "steps away" from the incident before it erupted, but they still weren't able to prevent it.
At least 20 rounds were fired from multiple guns. Officers recovered at least five guns on the scene, as well as fentanyl pills. Two men were arrested on weapons-related charges. They were identified as Raoul Gottfried Jones, 33, and Ricardo Miquel Vazquez, 22. The department is working to understand how many of the injured people were involved. “I thought it was safe when I went out last night. We had all that armory that was out there, all the police officers, basically like a military guard,” resident Scott Dangelo, 55, told the Denver Post.