On Thanksgiving night, November 25, 2004, 23-year-old Brandon K. Browne, a white male, was out with a group of seven friends at the Icon Night Club in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Inside the club, two women from his group had a verbal exchange with other men. Around 2:00 a.m. on November 26, the group of friends left the nightclub in three separate cars, planning to meet at a Denny's restaurant parking lot at Academy and Flintridge.
While on their way, the two women from the group
reported that a dark-colored Ford Explorer or Expedition with two African American men inside pulled up beside them at a stoplight. The men in the SUV attempted to talk to the women, who rejected their advances and continued to the Denny's parking lot to meet their friends. A short time later, the same SUV arrived at the parking lot where Brandon and his friends had gathered.
A verbal altercation broke out between the group of friends and the occupants of the SUV. During the argument, shots were fired from the SUV, and possibly from someone in the parking lot as the vehicle fled the scene. Brandon Browne, who was standing in the parking lot but was reportedly not involved in the altercation, was struck by a gunshot. His friends rushed him to the hospital, but he did not survive his injuries.
The Colorado Springs Police Department investigated the homicide, identifying the suspects as two African American males who were in a dark-colored Ford Explorer or Expedition. Despite the presence of multiple witnesses, no arrests have ever been made in connection with Brandon Browne's death, and his case remains an unsolved cold case. His family believes he was an innocent bystander in the tragic events of that night.
