Two teens charged in connection to fatal Denver Aquarium shooting

The Denver District Attorney's Office filed first-degree murder charges against two teens in connection to the fatal shooting that took place outside of the Downtown Denver Aquarium earlier this year.

Antonio Vasquez, 19, and Jason Trujillo Jr., 17, have both been charged with first-degree murder in connection to the shooting and killing of Dacien Salazar, 19, on Feb. 14, according to a news release from the district attorney's office.

Trujillo, Jr. will be tried as an adult, according to the release.

Police initially responded to reports of a drive-by shooting outside of the aquariumat 700 Water St., around 3 p.m. on Feb. 14. Salazar was found with injuries and taken to a nearby hospital, where he died.

Numerous witnesses told police that the suspect vehicle was a black sedan, according to arrest records.

Salazar's friend later told investigators that they were in the aquarium for around an hour. As they left, a four-door, black sedan pulled up with both the passenger and back passenger windows down. A masked figure fired shots at the group, ultimately hitting Salazar.

Through security camera footage, investigators were able to pin down the vehicle as a black Chevy Malibu with temporary tags.

Another friend of Salazar's told detectives that the suspects had made threats to him on Facebook, according to arrest records.

Through social media, detectives found that the two suspects seemed to be tied to a gang that had fired shots at another group in Pueblo, with detectives finding the same exact cartridges there that they did outside of the aquarium.

After tracking Vasquez's phone, detectives were able to pinpoint the two suspects leaving a hotel prior to the shooting. One of the suspects could be seen in security camera footage carrying a black mask.

Surveillance footage outside of the REI at 1416 Platte St. then showed two people removing a temporary tag from the suspect vehicle prior to the shooting.

Denver police searched for information on the suspects for nearly two months, with Metro Denver Crime Stoppers raising an award for information from $2,000 to $3,000 in April.

An anonymous tipper told the department that Trujillo Jr. killed Salazar at the end of March.

The Lakewood Police Department is investigating an officer-involved shooting in Lakewood on Wednesday near the West 4th Avenue and Wadsworth Boulevard.

Lakewood Police are currently rly investigating an officer involved shooting in the area of 4th and Wadsworth. Please avoid the area if you can.

Police said on social media platform X that at approximately noon no officers were injured, but did not say if anyone else was hit by gunfire.

Officers were on site at a second scene nearby at 6th Avenue and Garrison Street, according to police, and police were asking the public to stay away from that area as well while the investigation commenced.

The incident began around 10:30 a.m. near the Walmart on West 4th Avenue and Wadsworth, John Romero, a spokesperson of the Lakewood Police Department, said during a Wednesday press conference.

Someone inside of the Walmart reported that a man had "menaced" them with a gun, Romero added. The man then left on foot and allegedly carjacked a van from an elderly woman nearby.

Police identified the stolen vehicle and pursued it to the off-ramp near West 6th Avenue and Garrison Street.

The suspect then allegedly left the vehicle with a gun, leading to "several" Lakewood officers firing at him. He was later pronounced deceased, according to the department.

No one else was injured in the incident.

The incident marks the second officer-involved shooting in Lakewood over the past two weeks.

The first incident, which occurred on April 30 near Second Avenue and Garrison Road, involved the Thornton Police Department. After following a suspicious vehicle from East 84th Avenue and Washington Street, two people left the vehicle and one allegedly fired at police. Police then shot and killed the two people.

Thornton Police Department has yet to give updates regarding the incident since April 30.

Regarding Wednesday's incident, investigations into the shooting are still ongoing.