One Man Killed In Parking Lot — Suspect Arrested In Mexico
by Glen Richardson
Apartment Battle: An extraordinary gun battle broke out at Esprit Cherry Creek Apartments that required the intervention not only of Glendale P.D. but also Denver, Sheridan, and Cherry Hills police departments. No individual has been charged yet but arrests are expected to be announced soon.
At 2:09 a.m. on August 31, 2026, the Glendale Police arrived at Esprit Cherry Creek Apartments where a wild gunfight broke out in the parking lot involving up to a dozen individuals who were believed to be predominately from Venezuela. One juvenile was badly wounded with a gunshot wound to the chest and was later pronounced dead.
Glendale would receive assistance from the Denver, Sheridan, and Cherry Hills police departments during the initial response and subsequent scene investigation. Because the gunfight is an active homicide investigation, the Glendale police are not releasing the identities of the individuals involved, information regarding potential suspects of interest, or specific investigative details at this time. Glendale detectives have identified several individuals connected to the investigation and are working closely with outside law enforcement and investigative partners. Various details of the information for this article has been obtained from third party sources outside of the Glendale police department.
The gunfight at Esprit was recorded on the apartment house’s residents. The videos allowed the Glendale police to track which apartments or automobiles the participants went into following the gunfight.
There were dozens of bullets lodged into the walls around Esprit as well as vehicles on the premises. Glendale police towed in four vehicles with bullet holes. Three individuals were taken into protective custody, but later released with no charges filed.
Crime Scene: Bullets were found sprayed throughout the complex as well as in vehicles in the parking lot.
One of the major participants in the gun battle was a Venezuela national identified by the Glendale police and traced down to Mexico, where he had been arrested in Mexico for violation of that country’s immigration laws. The suspect was likely in the United States illegally but not arrested in the United States for violation of this country’s immigration laws, and under Colorado law the Glendale police are prohibited from coordinating with ICE. The Glendale police department acquired an arrest warrant for the suspect and is coordinating for extradition with the Mexican government.
The individuals involved in the gun battle are believed to be rival factions of the Venezuelan transnational criminal organization know as “Tren de Aragua” (TdA). Members of that organization took over three apartment complexes in Aurora in 2024, and the subsequent criminal activity made national news.
In August of last year, the U.S. Department of Justice indicted 30 individuals associated with TdA in Colorado for drug trafficking, murder-for-hire, prostitution, and firearms crimes.
The enormous influx of Venezuela illegal immigrants to Denver including TdA members occurred under the Biden Administration. It had been estimated 40,000 illegal migrants reached Denver starting in 2022. The City of Denver placed in Aurora large numbers of illegal migrants bussed up from Texas to Denver. The transporting of those illegal immigrants to Aurora caused a major rift between the administrations of those two cities.
Glendale City Manager Chuck Line indicated that the Trump administration’s efforts to close the border have greatly reduced the influx into Glendale. However, a significant number of TdA members are still believed to be in the greater Denver area.
Glendale police anticipate additional arrests relating to the gunfight over the next several months.
