On a winter evening in Denver, Colorado, the life of 35-year-old Alyssa Gunn Maldonado was tragically cut short in a violent shooting spree that unfolded across the city and into the suburb of Lakewood. On December 27, 2021, a gunman entered Sol Tribe Custom Tattoo and Body Piercing, where Maldonado worked, and opened fire. Maldonado was killed in the attack, along with the shop's owner, Alicia Cardenas.
Maldonado's husband, Jimmy Maldonado, who also worked at the tattoo parlor, was shot and seriously injured but ultimately survived.
The perpetrator was identified as 47-year-old Lyndon James McLeod. Reports from law enforcement indicated that McLeod harbored extremist ideologies and misogynistic views. He had been on the radar of law enforcement prior to the rampage, having been investigated in 2020 and early 2021, though no charges were filed. It was also discovered that McLeod had authored a series of books under a pseudonym, which disturbingly seemed to foreshadow the deadly attacks, with a plot that mirrored the real-life events of the shooting spree.
McLeod's rampage did not end at the tattoo parlor. After fleeing the initial scene, he continued his violent spree, killing three more people at different locations: Michael Swinyard, Daniel Scofield, and Sarah Steck. The chase and subsequent shootings created a trail of terror that spanned from Denver to Lakewood. The violent episode concluded when McLeod was confronted by Lakewood Police Agent Ashley Ferris. In the ensuing exchange of gunfire, Ferris was wounded, but she was able to fatally shoot McLeod, bringing an end to his deadly rampage. As the shooter was killed at the scene, no arrests were made in connection with the senseless violence that claimed the lives of five innocent people.
