Denver, Colorado -- Most people wouldn't think that the scene of Denver's worst crime this decade would be just over two blocks from Coors Field and the rejuvenated downtown region of Denver, with its trendy nightclubs and loft apartments. But, most people also wouldn't expect to run into military assault weapons and explosives in the hands of urban gang members, either.
Denver police say both are true. A series of violent fights erupted Saturday, the same day that the Colorado Rockies defeated the New York Mets 8 to 5 just a short walk from this neighborhood of run-down warehouses on the edge of the prosperous downtown region. Sometime in the mid-afternoon Saturday, police say a group of well-equipped terrorists fought a brief fight near the Park & Lock parking facility. Four unidentified people were killed -- including one who was blown apart by a military grenade. The only witness to this violent confrontation, Jorge Alvarez, manager of the U-Store-Stuff facility on Delgany Avenue, says that he saw several men claiming to be Federal agents moments after the fight. One escorted him off of the premises, telling him the storage facility was now closed. When Alvarez returned the next day, he found several storage spaces had been broken into.
Later Saturday evening, just as the Rockies game was getting underway, another firefight broke out. In the aftermath of this bloody confrontation, twelve people were dead, including six members of the Montbello Snow Crew drug gang. Four of the people were inside a Toyota Camry that blew up from what police identified initially as a hand grenade. Two other people, Alex Trenton and Robert Prescott, were found wounded and bound. Police say that these two people were involved in buying and distributing drugs. They have been arrested and charged. Several people had been killed in a professional execution style, according to sources.
Counting the crew of the WB Channel 2 helicopter that were killed after their helicopter was shot down moments after this firefight, the body count Saturday in this neighborhood reached sixteen.
Police have not ruled out the likelihood that the two incidents were related. Anonymous sources within the Denver Police Department say that there is strong evidence that the gangs in the Denver region are hiring mercenary terrorists to supplement their local firepower with trained experts. The Denver police have contacted the local FBI office for assistance in their investigation.
Moline, Illinois -- Deere & Co. introduced the Auto-Farmer at a press conference today at the corporate headquarters. This gigantic robot has attachments that allow it to operate as a tiller/cultivator, a planter, and a harvester. The Auto-Farmer can process up to 64 rows of crops at once. The $30,000,000 Auto-Farmer has a control center for a human operator, but no driver is required. The Auto-Farmer will be available for purchase by this winter.
Washington, DC -- The new Voters' Rights Bill moved one step closer to becoming a law this week when the House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted in favor of the bill. The Senate is expected to act on the bill later this month. The Voters' Rights Bill will allow a legal transfer of local and national voting rights from one person to another. Such transfers will allow people too ill to vote the ability to grant a relative or legal guardian permission to vote in their stead. Critics of this bill argue that such proxy vote capabilities are prone to abuse, since the recipient of the voter's rights does not have to have any legal or familial bonds to the transferor.
San Francisco, CA -- Edward Baxter has fought off an extradition attempt from Colorado. Denver police claim that Baxter murdered a family of three to steal a minivan after he was released on bail for the suspected murder of a Denver college student. Baxter's lawyer, Alvin Dewey, used what he calls the ex post facto accessory to murder defense. According to this defense, the city of Denver and Denver Police Department are solely responsible for the deaths of the family, since they failed to prevent Baxter, a known dangerous individual, from being released on bail. A California jury sided with Baxter's defense. It also fined the City of Denver $12.3 million for damages. Baxter is believed to be a lieutenant of suspected crime lord Justin Buckingham. He was freed after the trial and will not face the charges Denver police have filed.
Alvin Dewey is expected to return to Colorado to represent suspected drug dealer Alex Trenton. Dewey has already presented his defense, which will involve suing the people who allegedly purchased drugs from Trenton for placing Trenton in danger and for violating state and federal drug laws.
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Last Updated 21 Feb 2000
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