A fifth victim has died following a Denver-area shooting spree, authorities said Tuesday, as it was also revealed the shooting suspect was a former tattoo shop owner who reportedly harbored extremist views.
Alleged shooter Lyndon McLeod, 47, who also died after an exchange of gunfire with police Monday night, is believed to have targeted people he knew — including two women and a man at a pair of tattoo shops, KDVR reported, citing police.
McLeod held extremist views and had a history of psychiatric episodes, law enforcement sources told ABC News, without elaborating.
Police had investigated the suspect for undisclosed incidents in 2020 and 2021 — though no charges were ever filed.
However, the Sun reported that McLeod espoused alt-right conspiracy theories online, including sharing a COVID-19 conspiracy meme that appears to show Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg and Microsoft founder Bill Gates discussing an “injectable nanoworm.”
Last year, McLeod went on a tirade about emasculated men.
“Our entire society is made up of s— little f— who insult badasses & get away with it because law enforcement & social norms protect the WEAK from the STRONG. I’m over it. The weak better buckle up… s— is about to get real,” he said, according to the outlet.
The horrifying rampage began at about 5 p.m. at Sol Tribe Tattoo and Piercing in Denver, where McLeod allegedly gunned down Alicia Cardenas, 44, and Alyssa Gunn-Maldonado, KDVR reported. A man was also wounded at the first scene.
A short time later, a man was fatally shot in another Denver location, police said.
Gunfire then erupted nearby on Bannock Street and Sixth Avenue — where McLeod used to own a tattoo parlor, ABC news reported. Nobody was injured in the third shooting.
Denver police later located McLeod’s car and gave chase, exchanging gunfire before he was able to get away.
Just before 6 p.m., McLeod allegedly killed Danny Scofield at Lucky 13 Tattoo on Kipling Street in Lakewood, according to KDVR.
Officers relocated the suspect’s car in the Belmar shopping area and again exchanged fire with the man.
McLeod then escaped into a Hyatt hotel and allegedly shot dead a clerk, Sarah Steck, police said.
After leaving the hotel, the suspect allegedly shot and wounded a Lakewood police officer, authorities said.
The wounded officer, whose name has not been released, underwent surgery Monday night. She is expected to make a full recovery.
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Police and the suspect then exchanged gunfire for a third time, and the suspect died. It was not immediately clear if police officers had shot him.
Police have not publicly identified a motive in the deadly shooting spree.
“We need to dig in and find out what the motive was behind this,” Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen said at a news conference.
Sources told ABC News that investigators are combing through McLeod’s writings for clues to a motive.
With Post wires
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