On Monday, Dec. 27, 2021, five people were killed and two injured in an evening shooting spree between Denver and Lakewood, Colo. Among the deceased were Alicia Cardenas, Alyssa Gunn Maldonado, Danny Scofield, Sarah Steck and Michael Swinyard. Coloradans are devastated over the loss of these souls from a senseless act of gun violence.
Not only was Maldonado a beloved yoga instructor in the Mile High City, but she served as the jewelry manager of Sol Tribe Custom Tattoo and Body Piercing, the first target of the killer’s frenzy, located at East First Avenue and Broadway. Those who knew Maldonado personally described her as a resilient, loving person. Her husband Jimmy, who works as a piercer at Sol Tribe, is recovering from a gunshot wound in the chest at a local hospital. Support for the Gunn and Maldonado family can be made here.
Sol Tribe’s owner, Alicia Cardenas, was among the victims. She was remembered as “a proud Indigenous artist born and raised in the city who’s been working in the Denver body modification industry for nearly her entire life.” Support for the child and family of Cardenas can be made here.
The shop remains closed until further notice. To support the Sol Tribe employees who are out of work at this time, click here.
Please check out the GoFundMe’s of the other victims, Sarah Steck and Danny (Dano Blair) Scofield. An account has not been set up yet for Michael Swinyard. Fellow officers have created a fund for Ashley Ferris, a wounded Lakewood Police Department officer credited to ending the killing rampage.
Through loss, there is light — we are proud of the community for banding together during this tragic time.
Photo courtesy of Sol Tribe Custom Tattoo and Body Piercing.
