Denver Bronco Darrent Williams Killed...

[DeltAlum]

Just some quick clarification for everyones information.

The club they left has had several names and reputations during the past few years. It is just a block from the TV station where I worked. It used to be a real dive -- and we drank there fairly often after work. (We once found one of my directors alseep in the back seat of his car behind the place one morning) Our middle daughter goes there sometimes now since its reputation is much younger oriented these days.

The street where the shooting took place is not really what I would consider "downtown," but just West and slightly South of the business district. It is a main NW to SE artery that runs with several lanes on each side of a creek/river which runs diagonally through Denver. The areas along the creek, a 15-20 foot deep culvert with sidewalks at the bottom, are frequented by runners, bicyclists and homeless people, depending on the time of day or night. Some of the homeless sleep under the bridges that cross the culvert.

I don't think I would classify either location as particularly "ghetto,' at least in the truest sense of the word.

The area around the actual location (11th and Speer) is just South of the Denver Performing Arts complex with hi-rise condo/apartments and a park on the West side and small businesses on the East. Several years ago, a Denver TV station helicopter lost power and made a "hard landing" (read that as a barely controlled crash) in the creek just three blocks North of this location.

On a personal note, reading the initial stories were a real shock to me, not only due to the content, but because all three of the spokespersons (Jackson, Saccomano and Aiello) quoted in the first one are people I worked with. I've known a lot of people who were interviewed as spokesmen in stories, but this was the first time there were that many in the same story. I imagine that the cops know more than Sonny Jackson, the DPD spokesman and former TV Photojournalist, is saying, but they aren't going to tip their hand so early in the investigation.

The Denver Health Medical Center (formerly Denver General Hospital -- sometimes called the Denver Knife and Gun Club because it is a level one trauma center) which is a city owned facility and base for Denver Paramedics and handles most of the major trauma cases for the core city area, is only a few blocks South of the scene, so it is likely that help was quick and close. Denver Fire Headquarters and Engine House Number One is about three blocks North. The Denver Cop Shop (Police Headquarters) is a very few blocks away.

I agree with KSigKid and Jon that this probably had nothing to do with sports per se, but may well have been futrther incited by the fact that high profile sports personalities were involved.

Again, the above is for information only, and is not intended to try to add any motive for the shooting or its location.

It is very sad when a young and talented life ends so early and violently.

[jon1856]

Originally Posted by DeltAlum

Just some quick clarification for everyones information.

The club they left has had several names and reputations during the past few years. It is just a block from the TV station where I worked. It used to be a real dive -- and we drank there fairly often after work. Our middle daughter goes there sometimes.

The street where the shooting took place is not really what I would consider "downtown," but just West and slightly South of the business district. It is a main NW to SE artery that runs with several lanes on each side of a creek/river which runs diagonally through Denver. The areas along the creek, a 15-20 foot deep culvert with sidewalks at the bottom, are frequented by runners, bicyclists and homeless people who sometimes sleep under the bridges that cross the culvert.

I don't think I would classify either location as particularly "ghetto,' at least in the truest sense of the word.

The area around the actual location (11th and Speer) is just South of the Denver Performing Arts complex with hi-rise condo/apartments and a park on the West side and small businesses on the East. Several years ago, a Denver TV station helicopter lost power and made a "hard landing" (read that as a barely controlled crash) in the creek just three blocks North of this location.

On a personal note, reading the initial stories were a real shock to me, not only due to the content, but because all three of the spokespersons (Jackson, Saccomano and Aiello) quoted in the first one are people I worked with. I've known a lot of people who were interviewed as spokesmen in stories, but this was the first time there were that many in the same story. I imagine that the cops know more than Sonny Jackson, the DPD spokesman and former TV Photojournalist, is saying, but they aren't going to tip their hand so early in the investigation.

The Denver Health Medical Center (formerly Denver General Hospital -- sometimes called the Denver Knife and Gun Club because it is a level one trauma center which is a city owned facility and base for Denver Paramedics and handles most of the major trauma cases for the core city area, is only a few blocks South of the scene, so it is likely that help was quick and close.

I agree with KSigKid and Jon that this probably had nothing to do with sports per se, but may well have been further incited by the fact that high profile sports personalities were involved.

Again, the above is for information only, and is not intended to try to add any motive reason for the shooting or its location.

It is very sad when a young and talented life ends so early and violently.

Thank you for the local insight and clarification.

[DeltAlum]

Originally Posted by jon1856

Thank you for the local insight and clarification.

I was re-writing and editing my post as Jon replied, but the content is basically the same.

[AKA_Monet]

Originally Posted by DeltAlum

It used to be a real dive --

The street where the shooting took place is not really what I would consider "downtown," ...Some of the homeless sleep under the bridges that cross the culvert.

I don't think I would classify either location as particularly "ghetto,' at least in the truest sense of the word.

Yeah, DeltAlum, it isn't dangerous. BUT YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT GOES ON??

Some of these guys come from having a "record"... You THINK they SHOULD behave like adult--cuz that's what they are--BUT they do NOT. They stay involved in questionable situations.

Old gang member friends sneak up on them and exhort from them demanding the VIP card access. There is jealousy and anger because someone is envious of one's success... Family members start to act crazy because a lot of money is being exchanged...

And these kinds of situations tend to precipitate fast... It's like one has to say to these players to stay away from the "appearance of evil"... And young people have that naievete [sp?] of that "wait and see" attitude. Life experiences dictates leaving... Hey, the dress code and the music type would tell me immediately what kind of party it would be--no coat check, guys in orange mink hats and coats with too much jewelry and scantily claded women with no coats... No, that would NOT be a place I would frequent...

Besides, I no longer do dive bars... My judgement call is if they don't know what a "cosmo" is, then hey I can leave... But that's my defense mechanism.

[jon1856]

Originally Posted by AKA_Monet

Yeah, DeltAlum, it isn't dangerous. BUT YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT GOES ON??

Some of these guys come from having a "record"... You THINK they SHOULD behave like adult--cuz that's what they are--BUT they do NOT. They stay involved in questionable situations.

Old gang member friends sneak up on them and exhort from them demanding the VIP card access. There is jealousy and anger because someone is envious of one's success... Family members start to act crazy because a lot of money is being exchanged...

And these kinds of situations tend to precipitate fast... It's like one has to say to these players to stay away from the "appearance of evil"... And young people have that naiveté [sp?] of that "wait and see" attitude. Life experiences dictates leaving... Hey, the dress code and the music type would tell me immediately what kind of party it would be--no coat check, guys in orange mink hats and coats with too much jewelry and scantily clad ed women with no coats... No, that would NOT be a place I would frequent...

Besides, I no longer do dive bars... My judgment call is if they don't know what a "cosmo" is, then hey I can leave... But that's my defense mechanism.

AKA-interesting posting which may in part(s) be correct.
BUT at this time we do not know just what was going on prior to, during, or even after the group left the bar/club.
The police have just started their investigations. So they most likely are still sorting matters out. So they do not yet know.
Unless of course you do.

All I have read so far is a group of friends getting together, after work, to socialize and have a fun evening out.
Something we have all done.
However, in the case, higher profile people. But everyone gets the opportunity to go out in public. Walk down the streets in NYC,LA or even Seattle and you will bump into someone along the way; that has happened to me several times including one actual bump.

So how about keeping what ifs to the minimum until we hear or see more?
Let CSI: Denver do its' thing. And lets not leave out Denver mass media doing it's work as well.

[DeltAlum]

Originally Posted by AKA_Monet

Some of these guys come from having a "record"... You THINK they SHOULD behave like adult--cuz that's what they are--BUT they do NOT.

I certainly don't disagree, Monet.

During a long career of televising sports, I've met a lot of athletes on every level. Some are remarkably bright -- some are dumber than a rock. Some act their age, some are still kids. Some are pillars of the community, some are thugs.

I didn't know Darrent Williams.

In the aftermath of a tragedy like this one, you hear all kinds of comments and stories. The concensus seems to be that this was a man who had a very rough childhood, but who had turned his life around. He was apparantely very highly thought of as a player and a person by the members of his team and the Bronco staff. His coaches from high school and Oklahoma State say that he had turned into a great young man with a potentially outstanding future. Bronco coach Mike Shanahan said, ""We all know that Darrent was an excellent player, but as a person, he was a first-class young man who brightened every room with his smile, attitude and personality," Shanahan said. "I cannot express how heartsick I feel at this loss."


The word in some places is that the shooter probably followed the limo and made a deliberate attack. Both the suspect vehicle and the stretch limo had tinted glass, so it's hard to know if Williams was the target -- or the entire group. It will be interesting to see if the shooter and Williams have any history, or if this was a spur of the moment crime growing out of the alleged argument at the club. My gut feeling is the later -- but I have no information to prove it and could be totally off base. It's just a kind of "between the lines" feeling I have.

There was some sad footage of Bronco Javon Walker ariving at Bronco Headquarters today with blood on his shirt and pants. He was in the limo, and reports are that Williams collapsed into Walker's lap after being hit in the neck.

Another man (there were reportedly twelve people in the Hummer) who was hit in the limo was released from the hospital. The woman who was also injured was reportedly hit in the head, but her injuries don't appear life threatening.

As Jon correctly points out, we don't have a whole lot of information yet and the investigation is in its very early stages.

The only thing that is absolutely for sure is that a promising young athlete has been killed long before his time.