2 Arrested In 'Targeted' Fatal Denver Shootout: Police Chief

DENVER, CO – Two men connected with the shooting that wounded multiple people and killed one man in Denver's Lodo neighborhood Monday evening have been taken into custody, Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen said at a press conference Tuesday.

Pazen said investigators had determined that the shooting incident at 21st and Lawrence around 4:04 p.m. was a "shootout between two individuals." Five men were shot, one fatally. The other four victims were taken to Denver Health Medical Center, where they were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

UPDATE: Rival Crips Gang Members Took Part In LoDo Shootout: Feds

Pazen identified the men arrested as Josh Hayward, 24 and Dashea Armstrong, 23. Both are in custody at Denver County jail. Hayward faces first-degree murder charges and Armstrong faces federal weapons charges, he said.

"We do believe this was a targeted shooting; this was not random," he said. "Who exactly in this group was targeted remains under investigation." Pazen declined to say whether the other injured people were connected to the shooting or were bystanders, saying the investigation was not complete.

"Any time you have an exchange of gunfire it's dangerous," Pazen said, calling the incident "brazen."

Pazen gave "a shoutout" to witnesses who came forward, without fear, to help investigators. "That's how we got these people into custody within hours, not days or weeks," he said.

Pazen said witnesses identified the car in which Hayward drove away from the scene. Police arrested him around 8 a.m. Tuesday morning. Armstrong was one of the men injured in the shooting and was taken into custody after being treated at the hospital, Pazen said.

"The community is right to have concerns,"he said. "We have individuals in our city who decide to exchange gunfire with one another, and they put a lot of people at risk... If people decide to shoot to shoot at one another, we will not tolerate it, we will work with community to address high levels of violence, to get the shooters off the street. ... Now that we have the individuals in custody, we will hold them fully accountable for their actions."

Pazen said there were still witnesses that needed to speak to police, and they should call the Denver Police Department's Metro Crime Stoppers hotline at (720) 913-7867.

Related: 1 Killed, 4 Injured In Downtown Denver Shooting

Image: via Denver Police Twitter

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