In the summer of 2020, a violent clash between two notorious motorcycle gangs in Arvada, Colorado, resulted in the death of 43-year-old William Kelly Henderson. On the night of July 11th, a confrontation erupted between members of the Hells Angels and the Mongols near Jake's Roadhouse BBQ on North Lamar Street. Amid the chaos, Henderson, a White male and a member of the Hells Angels, was fatally shot.
The altercation also left two other men with gunshot wounds.
The violence of that evening extended beyond the rival gangs. A local musician, who was on a break from performing, witnessed Henderson lying in the street and attempted to render aid. For his act of compassion, he was brutally assaulted with a helmet and run over by a motorcycle, sustaining a traumatic brain injury and other severe, long-term injuries. The suspects fled the scene, allegedly running two other motorcyclists off the road in the process, causing them serious harm. The incident sparked a massive and complex investigation that spanned 19 months and involved multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Arvada Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The extensive investigation culminated in the arrests of ten members of the Mongols Motorcycle Club across four states: Colorado, California, Utah, and Florida. The suspects were identified as Gregory Lawrence Moore Jr., Leon Matthew Dennis, Chadwick Gene Swopes, Jared Chadwick, Saint George Michael Gonzales, Kenneth Wayne Tischler, Vincent Eugene Dominguez, Phillip Raymond Garcia, Daniel Ruben Goint, and Rafael Vargas Lozano. They faced a litany of charges, including first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, and violations of the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act.
In April 2024, the legal proceedings concluded with the sentencing of nine of the ten suspects in Jefferson County District Court. All nine defendants pleaded guilty to various charges. While investigators were unable to definitively prove who fired the fatal shot that killed Henderson, the prosecution focused on holding the Mongols members accountable for their roles in the violent criminal enterprise. The sentences brought a measure of justice to a case that had deeply impacted the Arvada community. Gregory Lawrence Moore Jr., for instance, pleaded guilty to racketeering and was sentenced to 27 years in prison, with numerous other charges, including murder, being dismissed as part of the plea agreement. Other members received sentences for charges including second-degree assault.
