19-Year-Old Charged In Capitol Hill Stabbing Of East HS Athlete

DENVER, CO – A 19-year-old Denver man has been charged in connection with the Capitol Hill stabbing death of a popular former East High School football player in July.

Auviauntea Evans, 19, who goes by "Tay" was charged with one count of first-degree murder on July 24, after Denver police issued a warrant for his arrest. He was taken into custody on Sept. 10.

Evans is accused of fatally stabbing 17-year-old Reese Grant-Cobb, 17, on July 1, near Capitol Hill's Bourbon Grill at 571 E. Colfax Ave.

Witnesses told police a group of about five people had jumped on Grant-Cobb and were punching and hitting him around 11 p.m., according to an arrest affidavit. Emergency responders found Grant-Cobb stabbed on the sidewalk around 11:30 and took him to a hospital, where he later died.

Police interviewed several witnesses who said a group jumped on Grant-Cobb, and then dispersed to a nearby McDonald's parking lot when they saw he had been stabbed. Police arrested one juvenile the night of the attack. They identified Evans, wearing a white sleeveless t-shirt, as the person who stabbed Grant-Cobb. A knife was found in the McDonald's parking lot, the arrest affidavit said.

After the stabbing, investigators released surveillance video photos from the McDonald's and a nearby 7-Eleven, searching for tips. Police did not release a motive for the fight, or say whether Grant-Cobb knew his attackers in the arrest affidavit.

Grant-Cobb had graduated from Denver School of Science and Technology and was headed to the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley where he planned to study Biomedical Engineering, according to a GoFundMe site posted by family friends. He played both football and basketball for East High School. A memorial was held for Grant-Cobb on the East High School football field.

Grant-Cobb's mother, Beverly Grant, who owns the MoBetta Green Market begged the public to share knowledge about the possible suspects with police in an interview with CBS.

"Share information that you know about these people whose pictures are posted. Please pay that forward because this is just another thing that must be done," Beverly Grant said.

Police noted that Evans's mother had left the state before the altercation, and assumed he had also left Denver. The arrest affidavit did not say where Evans was arrested.

Evans will appear in Denver District Court Sept. 14, the District Attorney's Office said.

Image via Denver County District Attorney's Office

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• Related: Capitol Hill Fatal Stabbing: New Suspect Photos Released
• Related: East HS Athlete To Be Remembered At Denver Vigil
• Related: Capitol Hill Stabbing: Video Images Of Suspects Released
• Related: Teen Arrested In Capitol Hill Stabbing: Police Seek Others

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