In a tragic development in Denver, a road rage incident escalated to a deadly shooting, taking the lives of two young men on Interstate 25.
The suspect, 25-year-old Stephen Long, was arrested following an intense pursuit by a Denver Police Department (DPD) detective.
The chilling event unfolded when the detective, driving on the interstate, heard gunshots and quickly followed the suspect’s vehicle into west Denver. There, uniformed officers successfully apprehended Long.
The victims, left in the aftermath of the suspect’s rage, were two males found on different parts of the highway. One was discovered on the shoulder of northbound I-25 between the 6th and 8th Avenue exits and was pronounced dead at the scene. The other man was found on the 8th Avenue exit ramp and tragically succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.
According to DPD investigators, the victims were in one car, with Long trailing them in another. For unknown reasons, the victims stopped their vehicle in the right lane of traffic. When Long also came to a halt, the passenger from the victims’ car approached Long’s vehicle, resulting in a confrontation. The situation quickly spiraled out of control as Long allegedly shot and killed the approaching passenger.
The driver of the victims’ car then confronted Long, who reportedly remained in his vehicle. As Long attempted to drive off, the other driver held onto the vehicle. In a shocking turn of events, Long allegedly fired several shots at the driver while exiting the highway, causing him to fall from the vehicle.
Having witnessed the events, the DPD detective tracked down Long, and uniformed officers subsequently arrested him at 13th Avenue and Meade Street without any further incidents.
Long is now facing two counts of first-degree murder. The victims, identified by their family members as 21-year-old Blake Lucas and 22-year-old Damon Lucas, will have their identities officially confirmed by the Office of the Medical Examiner at a later date.
The DPD is urging witnesses to come forward, especially those who may have captured the incident on dashcam video.
As a result of the incident, northbound lanes of the interstate were shut down at around 3:15 p.m. and remained closed for over five hours, causing a significant traffic disruption.