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Brothers sentenced to 40 and 40 years for deadly,

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Brothers sentenced to 40 and 40 years for deadly,


Two brothers who were involved in the 2024 drive-by shooting death of a man outside the Downtown Aquarium in Denver were sentenced to serve decades in prison.

Antonio Vasquez, 21, and Jason Trujillo, Jr., 19, were sentenced on Friday to 40 years and 20 years, respectively, in state prison. Both brothers pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, and a number of charges, including first-degree murder, were dropped as a result.

Vasquez, who was 19 at the time of the shooting, fired the weapon that killed 19-year-old Dacien Salazar over two years ago, according to investigators. Trujillo, who was 17 at the time, drove the car.

Dacien Salazar is seen in a handout photo from Denver police investigators after the 19-year-old was shot and killed outside the Denver Downtown Aquarium on Feb. 14, 2024.

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Denver Police Department


“Dacien Salazar’s murder was not just a tragedy for his friends and family, it was a crime that shocked countless Denver residents — a shooting in broad daylight in a busy public place,” Denver District Attorney John Walsh said in a statement on Friday. “Today’s sentences ensure that Antonio Vasquez and Jason Trujillo will pay a heavy price for their cold-blooded actions.”

The shooting occurred on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, 2024, outside the popular aquarium near Interstate 25 and Water Street.

Given the location of the shooting, and before police knew if it was random or targeted, a large police presence was seen at the aquarium soon after the 911 calls came in.

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Salazar was taken to the hospital but later died of his injuries, according to Denver police. After the shooting, the brothers took off southwest, toward the REI store, and investigators worked to develop information about the suspects.

Shooting at Denver Aquarium

Denver police officers investigate the scene of a shooting outside of the Denver Aquarium in Denver, Colorado, on Feb. 14, 2024.

Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post via Getty Images


Salazar was at the aquarium with two other people. The three left Pueblo earlier in the day and got to the aquarium around 2 p.m. that day, a witness told investigators. They left about an hour later, and as they were walking back to the car they came in, a black Chevrolet sedan pulled up and a person, later identified as Vasquez, was in the back seat with a black ski mask on and started shooting.

Salazar was the only person struck by gunfire that afternoon.

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One of Salazar’s friends told police that Salazar “had a lot of people that were after him.” That person’s name was redacted in a 10-page arrest report, as was the rest of the paragraph after that claim.

One person interviewed by police told a detective that they saw threats against him on Facebook, made by Trujillo and three other people, whose names were redacted. Screenshots of the threats were also fully redacted in the arrest report.

Forensic investigators say they matched the ammunition used in a shooting in Pueblo, allegedly involving at least one of the suspects, to the one used to kill Salazar. Many details surrounding the Pueblo shooting were redacted, but the report says that .223-caliber rifle ammo was recovered from both scenes.

Court records don’t show any criminal cases out of Pueblo for either brother, aside from a 2022 traffic ticket for Vasquez.

Shooting at Denver Aquarium

Denver police officers investigate the scene of a shooting outside of the Denver Aquarium in Denver, Colorado, on Feb. 14, 2024. 

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Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post via Getty Images


Investigators went through traffic camera footage near the shooting and found the car that matched wintesses’ description and saw it had a temporary license plate. Detectives traced the ownership of the car back to a Pueblo address and then honed in on a cellphone that pinged cell towers in Pueblo, Littleton, and Denver during the time before, during, and after the shooting.

They traced the movement of the car and phone to a hotel — although the exact hotel’s name is redacted from the arrest report — and got security camera footage, which detectives say showed Vasquez and Trujillo leaving and returning to the hotel before and after the shooting.

They were arrested in early May, formally charged on May 8 — both as adults — and held on a $1 million cash-only bond.

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Denver police release details in deadly shooting of man with BB gun

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Denver police release details in deadly shooting of man with BB gun



Investigators with the Denver Police Department are releasing more information about last week’s deadly shooting when a SWAT officer shot a man with a BB gun earlier this month. 

On Wednesday, police shared drone and body-worn camera video from the shooting that happened in the area of South Quitman Street and West Tennessee Avenue at approximately 5 p.m. on April 7.   

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According to investigators, officers were called to a home in that area after a relative called 911 about Joseph Martinez, 58, who was allegedly walking around outside with a gun. Investigators said officers thought his weapon looked like a hunting rifle and Martinez pointed it at SWAT officers. 

“There was a communication that was provided, they thought the weapon may not be a functioning or real weapon, but there was no more information, and officers were left with a weapon that looked very similar to a rifle that was pointed directly at them,” said Denver Police Cmdr. Matt Clark. 

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An officer fired at Martinez after investigators said he failed to comply with orders to drop his weapon. Martinez was rushed to the hospital, where he later died. 

The officer who shot and killed Martinez was taken off patrol per department policy. 



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Denver police investigate shooting in Montbello neighborhood

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Denver police investigate shooting in Montbello neighborhood


DENVER (KDVR) — Denver police are investigating a shooting in the Montbello neighborhood on Wednesday.

According to the Denver Police Department, the shooting happened in the 12200 block of East Burlington Place.

Police located one victim, but the extent of injuries is unknown.

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The department said investigators are working to develop a potential suspect.

This is developing news. FOX31 will update.



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Denver’s Nativ Hotel & Gatsby Social shuts down following failed inspections

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Denver’s Nativ Hotel & Gatsby Social shuts down following failed inspections


A prominent Denver hotel and nightclub shut down over the weekend after city officials suspended its licenses, citing repeated failed inspections and violations of a stop-work order.

The city took action on April 10, suspending the liquor, food, lodging and cabaret licenses for the Nativ Hotel & Gatsby Social following multiple failed inspections by the Denver Fire Department, the Denver Police Department and the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection.

This is only the second summary suspension of a liquor license by the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection in Denver since 2023.

Courtesy of Marcus & Millichap

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The Nativ Hotel. (Image courtesy of Marcus & Millichap)

“This is the most severe immediate licensing discipline action the city can take against a business,” said Eric Escudero, director of communications for Denver Licensing and Consumer Protection, in an email to The Post.

“It is only used in very rare circumstances when there is the most severe threat to safety because of alleged law violations.”

An investigation by the fire department revealed that Corporate Housing on Wazee LLC, doing business as Nativ Hotel & Gatsby Social, has a history of fire code violations dating back to Jan. 7, 2025, according to the suspension order.

Although the property, 1612 Wazee St., had undergone multiple inspections since that time, a group inspection was conducted on Feb. 24 involving the fire, police and licensing departments.

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That inspection uncovered numerous violations of fire and conveyance codes, deeming the property “unsafe for occupancy.” Most significantly, inspectors determined that the fire alarm system was not being monitored and had recorded 14 internal failure signals, including a notification failure.

As a result, the system did not alert any third-party central station or Denver Fire Dispatch when the alarm was activated.

The inspection also identified several additional violations, including a faulty fire alarm control system, ingress/egress blockages, sprinkler system violations, signage violations, breaches of fire-rated construction, fire doors propped open, improperly maintained and mounted fire extinguishers, corridor and stair blockages and improper propane storage. 

As a result of the inspection, the fire department issued a stop-work order, requiring the building to be vacated immediately.

Property owner Thierry Rignol was given time to address the violations and was issued a 30-day fire watch permit, which allowed only the hotel to remain open under strict monitoring with qualified personnel on site.

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By March 6, some corrections had been completed, but a follow-up fire department inspection found multiple violations remained, leading the city to cite Rignol for more than 840 violations

The fire watch permit expired on March 26, and the stop-work order once again prohibited the operation of the bar/nightclub and hotel.

Despite the order, the suspension document said Denver police observed the property operating as a bar and nightclub and continued to admit patrons between April 3 and the early hours of April 5.

In addition, during the early morning hours of April 4, Denver police officers responded to a felony menacing incident outside the premises. A patron who had been removed returned with a firearm and threatened security guardss.

The police department’s media relations team told The Post that officers were also dispatched around 1:51 a.m. on April 5 to a reported assault in the 1600 block of Wazee Street. A patron was found unconscious and injured on the sidewalk in front of the premises. That case remains under investigation.

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“The Denver Police Department will respectfully decline commenting on this situation, given the pending action by Licensing and Consumer Protection,” the department said.



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