Gary Chavez ID’d as dead man in possible self-defense shooting on Xanadu Street

Update: At this point, the Denver Police Department continues to characterize a Saturday night shooting at 5545 Xanadu Street as an act of self-defense. Now, however, we know the identity of the man who died in the incident. The Denver coroner's office has ID'd him as Gary Chavez, 51. Cause...
Carbonatix Pre-Player Loader

Audio By Carbonatix

Update: At this point, the Denver Police Department continues to characterize a Saturday night shooting at 5545 Xanadu Street as an act of self-defense. Now, however, we know the identity of the man who died in the incident.

The Denver coroner’s office has ID’d him as Gary Chavez, 51. Cause of death: a “penetrating gunshot wound of the abdomen.”

Although the coroner’s office characterizes the incident as a homicide, this designation doesn’t mean anything criminal took place. Look below to see our earlier coverage.

Original item, 9:30 a.m. May 23: A reported argument among housemates at 5545 Xanadu Street proved deadly, with Denver Health staffers unable to revive a man transported there on Saturday night after being shot.

Keep Westword Free

We’re $2,500 away from our spring campaign goal!
We’re aiming to raise $20,000. Your support ensures Westword can continue watching out for you and our community. No paywall. Always accessible. Daily online and weekly in print.

$20,000

However, Denver Police aren’t calling the incident a murder. Instead, they characterize it as an act of self-defense.

At this point, neither the dead man nor the alleged shooter has been identified. No charges have been filed to date.

Look below to see an interactive graphic of the area near the scene; if you have problems seeing the image, click “View Larger Map.”


View Larger Map

More from our Follow That Story archive: “Darrell Kutchin: I did the right thing in make my day shooting that killed Marcus Duran.”

Loading latest posts...