Family, friends remember beloved victims killed in shootings Monday

Following multiple shootings Monday evening that ended with five people dead, including the suspect, and three injured in Denver and Lakewood, family and friends are starting to share their beloved memories of the victims.

The suspect has not been identified and the motive remains under investigation.

On Tuesday morning, Alfredo Cardenas told Denver7 his daughter, Alicia Cardenas, 44, was one of the two women killed at Broadway and 1st Avenue, which was where the string of shootings began. He said Alicia was his only daughter.

Cardenas family

Alicia owned Sol Tribe Tattoo & Piercing, which is nearby. According to her bio page on the company’s website, she was a “proud Indigenous artist born and raised in the city who’s been working in the Denver body modification industry for nearly her entire life.” She was passionate about volunteering and giving back to her community, the website reads.

“She was a beacon of light for an enormous number of marginalized people, a fierce warrior and leader,” said her friend Aloria Weaver.

Angel Macauley, who owns Femme Fatale Intimates a few doors down from Sol Tribe, said Alicia was a huge part of the block.

“It’s just such a senseless act of violence that you just wouldn’t think would happen so close to where we are,” she said.

Denver7

Macauley called Alicia a “firecracker” and “leader” with a “powerful voice.”

“She was just such an impact on women, the Native community — I’m hoping that her art continues to live forever,” she said.

Alfredo Cardenas said his daughter owned her first tattoo shop when she was 19 years old and then moved into the new space, where she had worked for 15 to 20 years. It has a “tremendous reputation,” he said.

She was like nobody you’d ever met, he said.

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

She was also a mural artist, he said, and there are multiple art murals around town with her name on them.

“She was a real leader in her community. A lot of people look to her for advice and information about tattooing and a lot about the hygiene of tattooing and she kind of pioneered that,” Alfredo Cardenas said. “But she had friends all over the world. She literally has gone all over the world, well, over over the oceans anyway, giving workshops on tattoo hygiene and that sort of stuff. She will be very sorely missed.”

Alfredo Cardenas said his son came by his home in the middle of the night and told him he had heard about a shooting on social media.

“There’s a real tight community amongst the tattoo people and he was in connection with them,” Alfredo Cardenas said.

She served on the board of directors for the Association of Professional Piercers up until her death.

Alfredo Cardenas said he is struggling to absorb the fact that his daughter had been killed.

“It’s a shock to everybody,” he said. “It was obviously senseless.”

She leaves behind a 12-year-old daughter, her father said.

The other two people shot at this location were identified as a Sol Tribe artist who is in the ICU (Denver7 is not identifying him) and his wife Alyssa Gunn-Maldonado, who died of her injuries.

She is remembered for her impact on the tattoo and yoga community.

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GoFundMe

A verified GoFundMe was created for the family to help with funeral costs, medical bills and support for the couple’s son.

The other victims in Monday’s shootings have not been identified as of now.

Background

Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen and John Romero, public information officer with the Lakewood Police Department, provided an update on the shooting Monday evening. They said the suspect’s motivation for the shooting isn’t clear yet. They also stressed that there is no threat to the public.

The shootings began shortly after 5 p.m. Monday, when the suspect shot three people near 1st Avenue and Broadway in Denver. Two of the injured people — who have since been identified as Alicia Cardenas and Alyssa Gunn-Maldonado — were killed and Gunn-Maldonado’s husband was injured, police said.

Afterward, Denver police were dispatched to a second shooting at 12th Avenue and Williams Street around Cheesman Park, where one man was pronounced deceased.

Denver police responded to a third shooting at W. 6th Avenue and Cherokee Street. Nobody was injured in this incident, police said.

Police identified the vehicle associated with all three shootings around 8th Avenue and Zuni Street. Officers pursued the driver and the police and suspect exchanged gunfire. No officers were injured in this shooting.

Around this time, the suspect driver disabled a police car and fled into Lakewood, police said.

Just before 6 p.m., Lakewood police received a call about a shooting at a business along the 1500 block of Kipling. Officers responded and a person was pronounced deceased at the scene, police said.

Police were able to gather a description for the suspect and the vehicle, and Lakewood police spotted it in the Belmar shopping area a short time later.

Lakewood police tried to contact the driver, but the suspect shot at police, who returned fire, police said.

David Zalubowski/AP

The suspect then fled on foot into the shopping area, menaced a business with a firearm, and retreated into the Hyatt Place. The suspect shot a hotel clerk before fleeing again, according to police.

After leaving the hotel, the suspect was confronted by a Lakewood officer. The suspect shot the officer, who was transported to a hospital for surgery.

Meanwhile, officers and the suspect continued to exchange gunfire. At some point, the suspect was killed, but police said they’re not sure how the person died.

The front house manager of the Rock Wood Fire Pizza in Belmar, Tyler Gunderson, said he stepped out the back door and heard gunshots around 6:15 or 6:30 p.m. — right as Monday Night Football started, he said.

“The tables were already flipped and people were running toward the back,” he recalled.

He said his staff helped move people into the back of the restaurant, where they hid in bathrooms, the beer cooler and upstairs.

David Zalubowski/AP

The area was on lockdown for a few hours, Gunderson said. The customers were the first to leave once authorities gave an all-clear.

“I’m amazed by how my staff reacted,” he said. “And some of the customers — everybody kind of held their stuff together. None of my staff was crying or freaking out during it. They all were making sure customers were OK. Once everything died down, we gave everybody waters and gave them some to-go food that wasn’t going to be delivered, obviously.”

He said he wants to tell Belmar customers that it’s still a safe area to visit.

“Everyone did what we could to keep everybody safe. And you know, love to everybody, man,” Gunderson said.

This is a developing story. Stay with Denver7 for updates.

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