The 19-year-old son of the man Denver police originally suspected as the gunman in a fatal New Year’s party homicide is now in jail for a murder investigation, according to Denver police.
Police now believe Isaiah Hernandez, not Anthony Lopez, as they originally believed, fired the shots that killed Mario Rivera, 42, and critically wounded another partygoer, police said in a news release and an arrest affidavit for Hernandez.
Police arrested Lopez on Jan. 1 and Hernandez on Jan. 3. Hernandez is in custody for an investigation of first-degree murder, police said, and court records show Lopez is now charged with accessory to a crime.
Lopez allegedly arrived at a house party with Hernandez and Lopez’s daughter in the 2500 block of South Zenobia Street, according to the affidavit. At some point during the party, Hernandez got into an altercation with another partygoer, and the three were told they had to leave the party.
As the party moved to the front yard, another witness reported seeing a man exiting the house with a gun at his waist, which he racked and said he was “getting his family out safely,” according to the affidavit.
The gunman again confronted a person in the front yard and started arguing. Then he pointed the gun and started shooting into the crowd before fleeing. One witness reported someone may have returned fire during the shooting.
A witness who originally said they believed Lopez was the only shooter later said they believed Lopez and Hernandez were shooting, according to the Hernandez affidavit.
When police arrested Lopez, they searched his and Hernandez’s house and found a .22 caliber AR-pistol and a sock with spent 9mm casings in Hernandez’s bedroom. Forensic experts later matched most of those with casings at the scene, according to the affidavit.
Police also recovered video from a neighbor, and two rounds of gunfire can be heard, followed by Hernandez yelling, “That guy tried to f*** hit me,” and Lopez yelling back, “Son, what did you do,” according to the affidavit.
Police also found a Facebook post on Hernandez’s account that read “front line for the family” with eyeball and zombie emojis.
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