What began as an alleged argument over a passenger’s leg in the aisle of an RTD bus ended with a 13-year-old being arrested on 14 charges, including first-degree murder.
Police responded to a shooting around 6:30 p.m. Jan. 27 on an RTD bus in the area of South Federal Boulevard and West Mississippi Avenue. Richard Sanchez, 60, had been shot multiple times and later died from his injuries at a nearby hospital, according to the Denver Police Department.
Detectives spoke with multiple witnesses at the scene, according to arrest records. Sanchez had been on the bus first, then three people described as juveniles boarded the bus at another stop.
As the juveniles were walking through the bus, “words were exchanged” as they walked past Sanchez, according to records. Sanchez had his leg in the middle of the aisle.
The trio sat toward the back of the bus. Sanchez then approached the juveniles, continuing the verbal altercation. The suspect then allegedly pulled a handgun and fired approximately seven rounds at Sanchez, hitting him as he fell to the floor. The teens then fled out the back of the bus when it stopped.