In the fall of 2018, a dispute that began over a minor incident in a parking lot tragically escalated, leading to the death of 39-year-old Oscar Hernandez. A native of Colorado, born in Denver, Hernandez was a carpenter by trade. He was a husband and a father to six children.
On the evening of October 26, 2018, an argument broke out in the 3400 block of W. Kentucky Avenue.
A woman was reportedly punched in the face by a man after she confronted him about his passengers repeatedly hitting her car with their doors. Hernandez arrived at the scene and confronted the man who had allegedly assaulted the woman. During this confrontation, the man shot Hernandez. Despite his injuries, Hernandez managed to drive himself to Denver Health Medical Center, where he died a short time later.
The man who fled the scene was later identified as 23-year-old Benard Reed. Two days after the shooting, on October 28, Reed was arrested in the neighboring city of Aurora. He was taken into custody and held for investigation of first-degree murder and third-degree assault. The Denver District Attorney's Office formally charged Reed with one count of first-degree murder. He was held in the Denver city jail pending further legal proceedings.
