DENVER, Colorado— A suspected robber was injured in a shootout in a Denver museum parking lot on Sunday afternoon, according to the Denver Police Department. The incident occurred in the parking lot of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, near Colorado Boulevard and 20th Avenue, on the east side of City Park.
The victim reported to the police that he had just parked his car and was getting out to change his shirt when two men wearing ski masks approached him with guns drawn. The suspects demanded a silver chain the victim was wearing and when he turned around, one of the suspects struck him with a gun. The victim then retrieved his concealed carry gun and fired back at the suspects after they saw his weapon and fired at him.
The suspects fled the scene in a car, and shortly after, a man walked into a nearby hospital with a gunshot wound. Police identified him as one of the suspects involved in the shooting and took him into custody. The suspect, 21-year-old Oscar Mendoza, is being held on suspicion of attempted murder, felony menacing, and attempted robbery.
Surveillance video revealed that Mendoza and another individual were driven to the hospital before the driver left. The car that dropped them off matched the description of the vehicle that left the shooting scene. The other individual who was dropped off at the hospital left before police arrived.
It is unclear if the police are seeking other suspects in connection with the shooting, as the investigation is ongoing. The victim and his family were unharmed, but another car in the parking lot was hit by the gunfire.