Letter to Hon. Michael E. Horowitz, Inspector General - Perlmutter, Members Of Delegation Request Investigation Into Law Enforcement Handling Of Denver, Lakewood Shooting Spree Gunman

Letter

Dear Inspector General Horowitz:
On December 27, 2021, the Denver and Lakewood, Colorado communities experienced a terrible tragedy. A gunman opened fire at multiple locations in the City and County of Denver before traveling to the City of Lakewood where he continued the shooting spree. As a result of this gun violence, five lives were taken and two others were injured, including a Lakewood police officer, Agent Ashley Ferris, who bravely confronted and killed the gunman, undoubtedly preventing additional loss of life.
In the days following this incident, multiple news outlets reported the gunman, Lyndon McLeod, foreshadowed his plan of violence in a series of books, often in shocking specificity such as using the locations and names of people he planned to target.1 It was also reported the gunman was on the radar of federal law enforcement for previous expressions of extremist views and a history of violent episodes.2 Additionally, the Denver Police Department investigated the gunman in 2020 and early 2021, but concluded there was not enough evidence to file charges.3
We have serious concerns regarding the sharing of information and the response of law enforcement officials and whether it was adequate, timely and thorough. The aforementioned reports are concerning, and we request your office conduct an investigation into whether law enforcement agencies were aware of the severity of the threats from the gunman, the actions taken in response to these threats including the closure of investigations, and whether information sharing among agencies was adequate. It is critical we understand who knew what information and when, and how this information was shared and acted upon in order to identify and close any gaps in the information sharing process among law enforcement.
Thank you for your attention to this matter and we look forward to your prompt response.