Family of man killed in Denver triple shooting want answers, say people who opened fire weren't known to them

The family of a 30-year-old man killed in a triple shooting in Denver's Park Hill neighborhood is demanding answers nearly a week after the gunfire also injured his 12-year-old stepson and a woman.

Eleslie Swain was killed last Wednesday in a shooting in the 2000 block of North Oneida Street. Denver police have described the shooting as a family-related incident, but Swain's relatives are pushing back on that characterization and say the people who opened fire were not known to their family.

"If you wanted to know a good human being, Eleslie was one of them," his aunt, Sherri Landrum, said. "He would give the shirt off his back. Always helpful. Always thinking about other people."

The family describes Swain as a loving and hard-working individual. He was an Amazon worker and an up-and-coming local rapper.

Swain's family said the events leading up to the shooting began when his older brother went to drop off his child at the child's mother's home. According to the family, an argument between the parents escalated.

Relatives said Swain was nearby with his own children and went to the home to support his brother. They said people they did not know later arrived and opened fire.

"We don't know why they came around shooting instead of getting out of the car and trying to find out what the situation was," said Landrum, Swain's aunt.

The family said Swain was trying to shield his family from the gunfire when he was shot.

Swain's 12-year-old son was shot in the leg, and a woman was also wounded. Both are expected to recover.

"This wasn't supposed to end like this," Swain's niece, Tamara Johnson, said. "It could have been simple, just fist fighting, let alone not there at all. ... This hurts. I can't get my uncle back."

While Denver police have said this case is family-related, Swain's relatives said they want to make a distinction between the dispute that preceded the shooting and the people accused of firing the shots.

"This is not family. This was a murder, and they killed my little brother," said Swain's sister LaTasha Mack.

Denver police said no arrests have been made. Investigators are working to develop suspect information, and the case remains an open and active investigation.

Anyone with information that might be helpful to the investigation is asked to contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-STOP.