An NBA championship celebration in Denver quickly turned from jubilation to terror … as 10 people were injured in a mass shooting in the city following the Nuggets’ win.
According to the Denver Police Dept. … the shooting took place about a mile from Ball Arena at around 12:30 AM on Tuesday morning.
Full details surrounding the incident are not yet clear — cops described the scene as “a complex” situation — though they did say 10 total people had sustained gunshot wounds.
Cops revealed one of the injured has been identified as a suspect. Three others, police said, are in critical condition. The rest “are believed to have non-life-threatening injuries.”
“As far as what led up to this altercation that resulted in the shots being fired, that’s still under investigation at this time,” a police spokesperson said. “It did occur in the area where we had largest gathering of folks celebrating during the night.”
Photos from the scene show authorities have marked off the area with caution tape as an investigation continues.
Just prior to the shooting, it had been nothing but a good time for those in the city who were celebrating the Nuggets’ 94-89 Game 5 victory over the Heat.
Update: Both of the young men dropped from their spots atop the traffic light into the crowd, which appears to have caught them. pic.twitter.com/W6wLv2EEBl
— Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton (@meganululani) June 13, 2023
@meganululani
Fans had climbed street poles to cheer on their NBA team with others — before they hurled themselves into happy crowds below.
Others were seen shooting off fireworks to commemorate the team’s first-ever title.
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Inside of the arena, meanwhile, Nuggets players couldn’t have been happier to finish off their championship run … the guys doused each other in booze in the locker room — and at one point, series MVP Nikola Jokic tossed Jamal Murray into a pool.
The city is expecting to host a championship parade for the team on Thursday.