A gunbattle that killed two men and injured three others at an after-hours motorcycle club in Denver started after a fight broke out when one of the suspect’s daughters called her dad, saying a club security guard put his hands on her, court documents said.
Todd Washington, 40, and Shon McPherson, 32, have each been charged with numerous counts of first-degree murder and first-degree attempted murder, Denver District Attorney Beth McCann said. They were both shot in the incident but survived, prosecutors said in a news release.
The men allegedly opened fire around 3 a.m. on Nov. 5 at Hell’s Lovers Motorcycle Club. Michael David, 43, and Joshua Batts, 39, were killed. Three other unidentified people were injured by gunfire.
A redacted section of one of the probable cause affidavits alludes to how the shootout started — Washington’s daughter was upset and called her dad, expressing her anger about a security guard who allegedly put his hands on her. Moments later, Washington arrived at the location, and the shooting occurred, the document said.
“This senseless shooting is yet another example of the tragic consequences that often result when people try to solve disputes with firearms,” said McCann.
The bloody shootout left a parking lot and sidewalk littered with fired cartridge casings, a building pocked by gunfire and several vehicles pierced by bullets. It prompted a large response by police, who had to get a search warrant for the property after the business owners refused to let authorities in.
Once the warrant was obtained, police found a wooden storage shed attached to the establishment. Inside was an AR-15-style rifle with a large capacity magazine, a metal bucket with numerous handguns, including two black semi-automatic pistols in holsters, a gray semi-automatic gun in a holster and a gray revolver in a metal bucket on top of several propane tanks.
Video surveillance showed the commotion — from the headlights of a silver SUV turning on, a disturbance close to the club’s front door, a group of Black females arguing, to the flash of a muzzle and vehicles driving off.
At 03:07 a.m., video captures a male police identified as McPherson raising his right arm, and the first muzzle flash is seen immediately after that, the affidavit said. He appears to fire about two shots before other individuals return fire, the document said.
Todd Washington, left inset, and Shon McPherson, right inset, were arrested in a deadly shootout at a motorcycle club in Denver. The surveillance photo allegedly shows Washington raising a weapon at the scene of the crime, prosecutors said. (Screenshots from the affidavit from the Denver County District Attorney)
Washington allegedly then shoots his firearm immediately after McPherson in the direction of the security guards. During the incident, Washington was struck by gunfire and fell on the ground between two vehicles. He was taken by ambulance to Denver Health Medical Center and received treatment for his wounds.
“During the confrontation, Washington and McPherson were clearly armed and displaying the firearms,” court documents said.
The video captures McPherson running to a black Chevy sedan, opening the back passenger door, and entering before the vehicle is seen fleeing the area, the affidavit said.
Shortly afterward, McPherson arrived at Rose Medical Center to be treated for a gunshot wound before being taken by ambulance to another hospital to continue treatment.
In an interview at the hospital, McPherson told an investigator the shooting happened right in front of him, but he was “unable to provide any other details regarding the shooters and how the shooting occurred.”
Video footage showed the black Chevy sedan pull up to the hospital minutes after the shooting and drop off McPherson in the driveway. McPherson is seen exiting the vehicle and lying on the ground. An unknown female passenger and the driver briefly get out but return to the SUV and take off once McPherson has made it to the ground and is completely out of the vehicle.
Both defendants are being held in Denver’s Downtown Detention Center on $3 million bail, online jail records show. Washington had a court date set for Wednesday. McPherson is set to appear in court on Dec. 4.
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