Alexander “Alex” Nichols Rainer, 37, was shot and killed on April 9, 2026, in broad daylight near 32nd and Arapahoe streets in Denver’s Five Points/Curtis Park area. Witnesses reported a disturbance nearby involving a woman screaming for a man to get off her, multiple 911 calls about a man with a gun, then gunfire. Rainer was walking his dog, Moose, when he was struck; he was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead.

Rainer grew up in Memphis and later lived in Colorado. He worked in sales and product roles at companies including Signpost, monday.com, and had just started a new position with HubSpot in April 2026. He is survived by his wife Grace, daughter Harriet “Hattie” Lawrence Rainer, and infant son Grady Nichols Rainer. A fundraiser described the shooting as an unimaginable, random act of violence.

Police arrested 22-year-old Kaylen Jay Stroter later the same day on suspicion of first-degree murder; reporting tied him to the charge and said investigators used nearby camera footage as part of the probable cause account. Public reports said Rainer was not believed to have been specifically targeted. If anyone saw the area around Curtis Park that afternoon or has information about the events that led to the shooting, please share what is known.