Denver Area Shooting Spree: All 5 Victims Identified

LAKEWOOD, CO — All five people who were killed Monday in a Denver area shooting spree were identified by their families and police. Four of the people were attacked at tattoo shops, investigators said.

Alicia Cardenas, 44, Danny "Dano" Scofield, 38, Alyssa Gunn-Maldonado, 35, Sarah Steck, 28, and Michael Swinyard, 67, were shot and killed by Lyndon McLeod, police and family members confirmed.

McLeod, 47, went on the shooting spree in Denver and Lakewood before he was killed by police at the Belmar shopping center, investigators said. Several people were injured in the shootings, according to police.

McLeod knew most of the people he shot through business or personal relationships, investigators said. His motive remains under investigation. All five people who died were shot in less than an hour and two others were wounded, including a police officer who shot and killed McLeod after the officer was hit.

McLeod once owned a business in Denver called Flat Black Ink Corp. at an address that is now World Tattoo Studio, according to records from the Colorado Secretary of State's Office. A man who answered the phone at World Tattoo Studio hung up after he was asked about McLeod on Tuesday evening.

The first shooting occurred at another tattoo shop less than a mile (1.6 kilometers) from that address.

The gunman did not know the last person he shot — a clerk in a hotel in Lakewood's Belmar shopping area, police said. Sarah Steck, 28, died of her injuries Tuesday. However, McLeod had had some dealings with the hotel, police said.

McLeod was on the radar of law enforcement and had been investigated in both 2020 and 2021, Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen said. He declined to say what McLeod was investigated for but said charges were not filed against him.

The shootings started around 5:30 p.m. in central Denver along Broadway, a busy street lined with shops, bars and restaurants, where two people were killed at Sol Tribe Tattoo & Piercing. Authorities identified them Wednesday as the tattoo shop's owner, Cardenas, and another woman, Gunn-Maldonado. A man was also wounded but expected to survive, police said. He was identified by friends and customers as Gunn's husband, James Maldonado, a piercer at the shop.

Soon after, McLeod forced his way into a nearby home that also housed a business. He went after people inside the building and fired shots, but no one was injured, said Matt Clark, commander of the Denver Police Department's Major Crimes Division. Then a man was shot and killed in a home near Denver's Cheesman Park, Clark said. The man was identified Wednesday as Michael Swinyard, 67.

Later, officers chased a vehicle and exchanged gunfire with McLeod, Clark said. McLeod was able to get away, fleeing into Lakewood, after gunfire disabled the officer's cruiser, police said.

Lakewood Police Department received a report just before 6 p.m. of shots fired at the Lucky 13 tattoo shop. Danny Scofield, 38, was killed there, Lakewood police spokesperson John Romero said.

When officers spotted a car wanted in connection with the shootings at the Belmar shopping area — where shops line sidewalks in a modern version of a downtown. McLeod opened fire and officers shot back, Romero said. McLeod ran away and threatened some people in a restaurant with a gun, according to police. McLeod went into the Hyatt House hotel, where he spoke briefly with Steck, the clerk, before shooting her, he said.

About a minute later, a Lakewood police officer saw McLeod and ordered him to drop his weapon. She was shot in the abdomen but fired back at him, Romero said.

She has been identified as Lakewood police officer Ashley Ferris.

“All of us at the Lakewood Police Department are incredibly proud of Agent Ferris and the bravery shown by her and her fellow law enforcement officers during this active shooter situation,” said Lakewood Police Chief Dan McCasky. “The entire Lakewood Police family will be here to support Agent Ferris and her family as she embarks on this recovery process.

“Our hearts are incredibly heavy with the loss of life and injuries suffered by others during this rampage. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Cardenas, Gunn-Maldonado, Scofield, Steck and Swinyard families, as well as the families of those injured.”

Ferris underwent surgery Monday night. She is expected to make a full recovery, police said.

On Tuesday, candles, flower bouquets and some containers of fruit rested in the doorway of Cardenas' tattoo shop as people, including her fiancé, Daniel Clelland, stopped by to remember a woman they said cared for so many.

"I don't know why someone would do this," Clelland said.

Cardenas' father, Alfredo Cardenas, told KMGH-TV that his only daughter owned her first tattoo shop when she was 19 and had worked in the Broadway location for 15 to 20 years.

Cardenas is survived by her 12-year-old, Alfredo Cardenas said.

"Very gregarious, very friendly, but she was a very determined person," he said. "She knew where she was going."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.