Nine injured in U.S. shooting near Nuggets NBA title celebration
Nine people were wounded by gunfire and a suspect was taken into custody in the U.S. city of Denver following a shooting near where the Denver Nuggets won their first NBA league basketball title.
Three victims were in critical condition and the others suffered non-life-threatening injuries, the Denver Police Department said on Twitter.
“Preliminary information indicates multiple shots were fired during an altercation involving multiple people,” Denver Police said.
The shooting occurred about a mile (about 1.6 kilometers) from Ball Arena, where the Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat on Monday, ending a 47-season wait for an NBA title, and fans filled the downtown streets afterward to celebrate. The champions beat the Miami Heat 94-89 to win the Finals 4-1 overall.
The suspect in the shooting also suffered a gunshot wound, the department added.
This was one of 290 mass shootings recorded in the United States so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive site, a nongovernmental group focused on gun violence.
With more guns than people, the United States has the highest rate of deaths from its use of guns of any developed country: 49,000 deaths in 2021, up from 45,000 the previous year.