Keith Coffman

DENVER, (Reuters) – A Denver-area hotel clerk was fatally injured in a shooting spree that left five people dead. The gunman killed Monday’s Denver attack and was killed by police.

Denver police and Lakewood suburb announced that the latest victim was killed at a news conference, just days after the rampage which took place in both cities and included two tattoo shops.

Lyndon James McLeod, 47 years old was identified by police as the shooter. Police did not provide any details on McLeod and offered no explanation for the motive. They also didn’t give much information about McLeod other than to state that McLeod knew all the victims except one (the hotel clerk). McLeod’s connections to victims weren’t explained.

McLeod was killed in an altercation with a Lakewood officer. Police said that McLeod, even though she had been shot to her abdomen, was still able to fire her gun, striking him fatally.

Lakewood police spokesman John Romero declined to name the officer, a three-year veteran of the force, but called her actions “heroic.”

“She took a situation that was horrendous and put herself in harm’s way to stop it,” Romero said, adding that the officer underwent surgery and was expected to survive.

Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen said McLeod had been on “law enforcement’s radar” prior to the shooting as the subject of investigations in 2020 and again in 2021, but was never charged with a crime. Pazen did not discuss details of the investigations.

The shooting started shortly after five o’clock Monday night when McLeod went into a Denver tattoo parlor and opened fire. Two women were killed and one was critically injured.

He then shot dead a man at a home in east Denver before firing at others on the city’s west side without hitting anyone. McLeod was then reported by police to have engaged in a gun fight with Denver police officers, who were following him.

He eventually drove to Lakewood, entered another tattoo shop and fatally shot a male customer. Then he stormed into the hotel to shoot the staff member, resulting in his encounter with the Lakewood police officer.