Man Spotted Firing Bow and Arrow in Downtown Denver

No injuries were reported and no arrests have been made, police say.

August 9, 2024

The plaza by the Denver Millennium Bridge, where a man was seen firing a bow and arrow on Friday, August 9. Google Maps

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A man was seen shooting a bow and arrow near people at the Millennium Bridge in downtown Denver on the morning of Friday, August 9.

Denver police say they received a report of a man with a bow and arrow at 16th and Little Raven streets at around 11:30 a.m. No injuries were reported as the man seemingly fired only at objects, not people, a police spokesperson says.

However, there were multiple bystanders near the arrow's path, says David A., a witness who asked not to use his full name for privacy. David says he was in the plaza near the Luz de Denver sculpture at 11:16 a.m. when he saw the disheveled-looking man holding a bow and facing the Millennium Bridge.

"I noticed the man had a large bow but didn’t think much of it because he had a camera in hand," David says. "He used the camera to take a photo of the bridge. But as I went up the bridge stairs, I turned around and saw him preparing to fire an arrow."

David says the man fired the arrow toward the Nail Story salon, next door to the Hello Darling coffee shop. It didn't look like the man was aiming for individuals, he says, but multiple people were sitting outside on the coffee shop's patio, and others were standing chatting around the bridge.

The arrow hit a hard object and bounced away, David says, at which point people in the area began to run off.

"After he shot the arrow, I ran up the bridge...I was pretty scared of getting hit by the guy," he adds. "There were two policemen or security guards...staring down the bridge, trying to figure out what was going on. I told one of them that the guy had a bow and arrow. They hurried down the bridge, and I didn’t see anything after that."

Police say no arrests have been made in connection to the incident as of late Friday afternoon.

They have no official suspect information, but David says the suspect was a young white man of average height, wearing a backpack and worn-down clothes, describing him as "not well groomed" and appearing homeless.

"Officers are working to locate the man but have information that he no longer possesses the bow and arrows," the police spokesperson says.

Police declined to provide any more details about the incident or how they know the man no longer possesses the bow and arrows, citing the ongoing investigation.

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Hannah Metzger is a staff writer at Westword, reporting on news, arts and culture since joining the staff in October 2023. She previously worked at publications including Colorado Politics and the Denver Gazette, where she covered the Colorado Legislature, the Denver and Aurora city councils and breaking news. Hannah has been honored with numerous awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, Colorado Press Association, Colorado Student Media Association and Denver Press Club. She graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder with a major in journalism and a minor in political science.

Contact: Hannah Metzger

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