Denver police seeking suspect accused of stabbing 3 people, killing 1 near 16th Street Mall
Denver police are searching for a suspect accused of stabbing three people near the 16th Street Mall on Saturday night. One woman who was stabbed later died of her injuries, according to police.
Investigators don't believe there's a connection between the suspect and the victims and they don't yet know the identity of the alleged killer or their motive.
The Denver Police Department released a photo and surveillance footage of the suspect, which shows a person dressed in dark clothes with dark hair. Police officials described the suspect as a White man wearing a gray or dark green jacket without a hood, black jeans, and black Adidas shoes with white stripes.
DPD released an updated timeline of the stabbings Sunday evening:
- 16th and Tremont Streets around 5:12 p.m. A man drove himself to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries;
- 16th and California Streets around 5:17 p.m. Saturday. A woman, who was an American Airlines flight attendant on a layover, was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead Sunday morning;
- 16th and Lawrence Streets around 5:45 p.m. A man was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
In a Sunday evening news conference, Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas said that in the first attack, a man was slashed in the face. That man reported the attack once he got himself to the hospital, so police weren't aware of it until around 6:20 p.m., Thomas said.
The woman who died was stabbed in the throat, according to Thomas.
The owner of a business that's been on the mall for decades told CBS Colorado his cousin heard the commotion after the second stabbing and ran out to find the victim.
"He saw one lady lying down on the floor, and she was wounded. Bleeding was coming out, so he's scared and called me, 'Brother, brother, this accident happened,'" said Shyam Shrestha, owner of Mt. Everest Imports of Himalaya.
Shrestha told his cousin to immediately close the store.
"We think not good, this kind of thing going on in downtown," Shrestha said. "So many bad things happen. My store, they break the door, they stealing lots of jewelry here."
He says crime has increased at the mall in recent years, and as a result, he is now struggling to keep his doors open.
Shrestha says he frequently calls to report break-ins and theft and that police don't respond as quickly as they used to.
American Airlines confirmed to CBS Colorado that the woman who died was flight attendant Celinda Levno. They shared the following statement:
"We are heartbroken and mourning the tragic loss of our colleague who was the victim of a senseless crime last night. Our thoughts and support are with her family, loved ones, and colleagues, and we are doing all we can to assist law enforcement in its investigation."
The third victim was cut and/or stabbed in his arm and torso. That man is now in "stable but critical condition," Thomas said. He later expounded upon that, saying his injuries were serious but there is no risk of death from those injuries.
"DPD has additional officers along 16th St. and the surrounding area today for an added security presence," the department said in a statement on Sunday. Thomas later said there were a number of different units, including officers in plainclothes, in the area of the attacks looking for the suspect.
Police distributed photos and details of the suspect to various security teams around the mall, including at hotels and at Coors Field.
"We really have significant concern for the community because these appear to be unprovoked attacks," Thomas said.
No weapons have been recovered and with the suspect still at large, Thomas urged people to be cautious and vigilant if they're in the area: "These individuals were by themselves so I would say if you're going to be in the downtown area- really anywhere in the city, I think that it's best that you be with somebody and if you have to be alone, be vigilant and make sure that you're paying attention to your surroundings."
Thomas said investigators were not aware of any other victims or attempts and that investigators have "significant video."
Anyone with footage of the attacks or the suspect or information about the case is asked to contact DPD or Metro Denver Crime Stoppers.
