The end of the Denver Nuggets’ victory parade was thrown into chaos on Thursday when two people were injured in a shooting and a police officer was run over by a fire truck carrying superstars Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.
According to police, the shooting happened near the intersection of 17th Street and Curtis Street, near where thousands of fans had gathered to celebrate the team’s first-ever NBA championship.
Two men are believed to have been injured in the shooting and are in serious condition at a local hospital.
Just under an hour earlier, police reported that an officer was hit by a fire engine near the end of the parade route and taken to a local hospital. Nuggets superstars Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, as well as the Larry O’Brien trophy, were all in the fire truck when the incident occurred.
Sergeant. Justin Dodge is now in stable condition, Denver police said online, but suffered a “severe lower leg injury.” The cause of the crash is still under investigation.
Thursday’s chaos comes just days after another shooting that left nine people injured as the Nuggets celebrated defeating the Miami Heat.
Denver police cordoned off the area around 17th Street and Curtis Street after a shooting that took place Thursday that injured two people
Broken glass was seen in downtown Denver on Thursday, killing at least two people, according to police
Nikola Jokic (right) and Jamal Murray are seen on the roof of a vehicle during the Nuggets’ championship celebrations
Thousands of fans flocked to the area after the Nuggets won their first NBA championship, defeating the Heat in five games
On Thursday, fans flocked to join the team in celebrating the Nuggets’ victory, but those in attendance called the team a “madhouse.” denver mail, It was said that people would climb over the barriers.
The chaos finally reached its climax just before noon when a fire engine carrying the star players as well as team president and governor Josh Kroenke ran over Sgt. Evade.
At a news conference, Police Chief Ron Thomas said the officer was trying to protect people who had jumped the barricades and were approaching the parade route when he was hit by the fire engine, which ran over his leg.
A reporter at the scene said he saw SWAT officers help Dodge stand up and take him off the road in a car while the players and team president were taken away in a Hummer.
Dodge is now set to undergo surgery because doctors say the injury was “limb-threatening.”
Shortly thereafter, the police chief said, an unidentified black man opened fire in what authorities say was a targeted attack “completely unrelated to the parade.”
Brittany Gioso told ABC News that she was walking home from the parade with a group, including her mother, when she saw a man draw a gun a few yards away.
She said she heard three shots and “ran and tried to take cover.”
Photos and videos posted online showed pools of blood on the sidewalk with overturned bicycles. The ages and identities of the victims have not yet been released.
Mayor Michael B. Hancock vowed that police “will not rest until we apprehend the suspect,” who was being captured by surveillance cameras along the parade route. ATF agents are also supporting the investigation.
Still, the mayor and police chief said the city is safe, as Hancock attributed all of the city’s problems to “young people getting their hands on guns amid a fentanyl and drug epidemic.”
“An incident in which two people were injured, again with firearms,” Hancock said. “And here again we have to talk about someone endangering the lives of people who came to celebrate.”
According to authorities, two other people were arrested during the parade, one with an open warrant and another with a gun.
Police will now consider how to better prepare for this type of celebration in the future.
Fans went berserk as Jokic drove past them in Denver and sprayed champagne in the air during the title celebration
Fans watch the Nuggets’ victory parade and rally after winning the 2023 NBA Championship at Civic Center Park
A fan holds a cutout of Nikola Jokic, who was the star of the postseason and led the playoffs in points, rebounds and assists
The ending ruined an otherwise enjoyable day for the Nuggets and their fans. Crowds gathered around the team and star player Nikola Jokic to celebrate the city’s first NBA title.
Before the save, Jokic amused fans and reporters after his team’s Game 5 win by saying he needed it[s] “go home” to see his horses.
But the two-time MVP was with his family along with the rest of Denver’s players and coaches at the parade that made the historic title win possible.
Jokic has come off a historic playoff performance in which he became the first player to lead the league in total points (600), rebounds (269), and assists (190) in a single postseason.
The two-time NBA MVP also added more hardware to his résumé and was named Finals MVP.
The spotlight-shy Jokic had said he lost his Finals MVP trophy after the team’s 94-89 win over the Heat on Monday.
But the center apparently found it as it was posted on the roof of the vehicle he was in on Thursday.
With the season now officially over, Jokic will soon be returning to Sombor, Serbia to spend time with his family and get back to his other passion – horse racing.
He hopes to be back in time to take part in a trotting race on Sunday.
Jokic lovingly held and kissed his baby daughter during the parade, while others from the Nuggets were more in party mode.
Guard Kentavious-Caldwell Pope had one Beer drinking competition with a fanand also did Stone Cold Steve Austin’s patented Beer Smash, in which he smashed two cans of beer on his face before throwing them into the street.
Even trainer Michael Malone got involved as he splashed champagne on the Nuggets fans.
Malone also had a cheeky prediction for his group in Denver.
Nikola Jokic holds his baby daughter during the Nuggets’ title celebration Thursday in Denver as fans look on
Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. climbs onto a vehicle during the Nuggets’ victory parade Thursday
Christian Braun participates in the Denver Nuggets’ championship parade Thursday with a WWE belt on his shoulder
Denver Nuggets mascot Rocky is seen riding a truck during the Denver Nuggets Victory Parade and Rally Thursday
A young fan celebrates during a rally and parade celebrating the Denver Nuggets’ first NBA basketball championship
A fan holds up a fake Larry O’Brien trophy given to NBA champions during Thursday’s parade
“We’re not done yet,” he said on the roof of a vehicle. “We’re a bunch of greedy guys, baby. “We’ll get another one.”
The Denver coach also got a bit thoughtful on that emotional day and choked on it other interview.
“Life is about moments.” “And what we have just achieved has taken 47 years,” he said, thanking the team’s fans for their support and patience.
“I have a crazy idea, let’s do this again.”
Vegas appears to match Malone’s confidence as the Nuggets were listed as betting favorites to win the Larry O’Brien trophy next year after beating Miami.
After the win, Denver was listed as a +475 favorite by Caesars Sportsbook.
Only three other teams have single digit odds: the Celtics (+575), the Bucks (+700) and the Suns (+850).
Next on the list are the Lakers (+1100), Warriors (+1100), and Sixers (+1200).
The Nuggets capped off an impressive postseason by beating the Heat in the Finals in Game 5 on Monday.
The Nuggets finished the playoffs 16-4, the second-best mark by an NBA champion since round one expanded to the best-of-seven in 2003.
San Antonio also had a 16-4 record in 2007 and Golden State had a 16-1 record in 2017.