While thousands passed the peace pipe at the Denver Civic Center on 4/20 — the annual celebration of cannabis — the hazy atmosphere cleared when shots rang out, striking three people and a dog.
Colorado recently legalized the recreational use of marijuana this past election. The new law brought an even larger crowd out for the event in the state’s capital, reaffirming the “high” in “Mile High City.” One marijuana attorney, Rob Corry, declared:
This is what freedom smells like. You are standing on some of the freest ground in the world.
However, the crowd immediately dispersed when a gunman began firing. Though some witnesses were interviewed, their comments were similar to their mental state — a bit foggy. Examples include:
This guy came up and started shooting at people.
I thought I was going through an anxiety thing because so many people were coming after me.
It was peaceful; everybody was having fun. And then you heard the shots. Pow, pow, pow, pow.
One or two suspects were identified while “coming aggressively through the crowd.” Unfortunately, the two African-American men were also automatically connected to a gang. Post-racial society, anyone?
Denver police reported they have potential video footage of one of the suspects — a man running through a six-second film clip with a checked shirt as described. Check out a snapshot here.
Even the most mellow of activities — smoking marijuana — has generated outbursts of violence.
And for all those animal lovers out there, we hope the dog is okay, too.
