Lyndon McLeod and the 2021 Denver–Lakewood Shooting Spree
Overview
Lyndon James McLeod was a 47-year-old gunman who carried out a planned series of shootings across Denver and Lakewood, Colorado, on December 27, 2021. During a rampage lasting approximately 50 minutes, McLeod killed five people, wounded another civilian, shot a police officer, attacked multiple businesses and residences, and exchanged gunfire with law enforcement officers. The violence ended when wounded Lakewood Police Agent Ashley Ferris returned fire and fatally shot him.
Investigators determined that McLeod had personal or professional connections to four of the five people he killed. Several victims had worked in Denver’s tattoo or cannabis industries and had previously encountered McLeod through business relationships. Sarah Steck, the final person murdered, apparently had no personal connection to him and was working at the front desk of a Lakewood hotel when he entered.
Background and Earlier Warning Signs
McLeod had previously worked in Denver’s cannabis industry and was involved with a tattoo business known as All Heart Industries, which operated from approximately 2013 to 2015. That business occupied the same location later used by Sol Tribe Tattoo and Piercing. McLeod reportedly developed lasting resentment toward several people associated with his unsuccessful business ventures.
In 2012, McLeod pleaded guilty to felony menacing after threatening two men with a firearm at a medical-marijuana warehouse. The case was handled through a deferred sentence, and the charge was eventually dismissed after he completed probation. Police also investigated McLeod in 2020 and again in 2021 after receiving information about concerning behavior, but investigators said the available evidence did not establish probable cause for criminal charges.
Using the pen name Roman McClay, McLeod self-published a trilogy of violent science-fiction novels. The books presented a fictionalized version of McLeod as a central character who punished or killed people he believed had betrayed him. Several real people later targeted during the December 2021 attacks were reportedly named or closely represented in his writings. Investigators and journalists later examined the books as evidence that McLeod had spent years developing violent revenge fantasies.
The Attack at Sol Tribe Tattoo and Piercing
The shooting spree began at approximately 5:25 p.m. on December 27, 2021, at Sol Tribe Tattoo and Piercing in the area of West Sixth Avenue and Cherokee Street in Denver. McLeod entered the business carrying a firearm and opened fire on the people inside.
He killed shop owner Alicia Cardenas and employee Alyssa Gunn-Maldonado. He also shot Alyssa’s husband, Jimmy Maldonado, who survived despite suffering serious wounds near his collarbone, shoulder and lung. Jimmy Maldonado was the only person shot inside Sol Tribe who survived.
Cardenas was a respected tattoo artist, muralist, cultural advocate and business owner. She had reopened the location as Sol Tribe after McLeod’s former tattoo operation had closed. The attack devastated Denver’s tattoo and artistic communities, where Cardenas and Gunn-Maldonado were remembered as talented and compassionate professionals.
Attempted Home Invasion
Shortly after leaving Sol Tribe, McLeod traveled to a nearby apartment associated with tattoo artist Jeremy Costilow, another person with whom he had a history of conflict. McLeod initially approached while pretending to be a delivery worker. Costilow’s girlfriend became suspicious and refused to let him inside.
McLeod returned carrying a sledgehammer and attempted to break through the door. He also fired bullets through the door and walls. Costilow, his girlfriend and their child escaped without being shot. McLeod entered after the family had fled, damaged property and reportedly set fire to a vehicle connected to them. The attempted attack demonstrated that McLeod was moving through a prepared list of people against whom he held grievances.
Murder of Michael Swinyard
At approximately 5:45 p.m., McLeod traveled to the home of 67-year-old Michael Swinyard near Denver’s Cheesman Park neighborhood. Swinyard had previously been connected to McLeod through cannabis-related business activity. McLeod entered the residence and fatally shot him.
Police found Swinyard dead at the scene. Investigators later reported that McLeod believed Swinyard had wronged or cheated him during an earlier business relationship. Swinyard’s name and a similar act of violence had also appeared in McLeod’s fictional writings.
Gunfire with Denver Police
Denver officers obtained a description of McLeod and the vehicle he was driving. At approximately 5:50 p.m., an officer located him near West Eighth Avenue and Zuni Street. McLeod fired at the officer, and the officer returned fire.
No one was wounded during that exchange, but McLeod’s gunfire disabled the police vehicle. He escaped Denver and drove west into Lakewood, where police agencies were already being alerted that an armed murder suspect was approaching their jurisdiction.
Murder of Danny Scofield
At approximately 5:58 p.m., McLeod entered Lucky 13 Tattoo and Piercing in Lakewood. He immediately opened fire and killed tattoo artist Danny Scofield, who had previously worked for McLeod. The attack lasted only seconds before McLeod returned to his vehicle and left.
Scofield was another person toward whom McLeod had reportedly carried a longstanding grievance. His murder strengthened investigators’ conclusion that the initial victims had not been selected randomly but were targets connected to McLeod’s past.
Threats in the Belmar District
After leaving Lucky 13, McLeod entered Ted’s Montana Grill in Lakewood’s Belmar shopping district. Armed with a handgun, he moved behind the counter, poured himself a drink and threatened an employee who confronted him. He then left the restaurant without shooting anyone.
Lakewood officers located McLeod’s vehicle near the shopping district. Another exchange of gunfire occurred when police attempted to approach him. McLeod escaped on foot and moved through the heavily populated commercial area while still armed.
Murder of Sarah Steck
At approximately 6:10 p.m., McLeod entered the Hyatt House hotel in the Belmar area. Sarah Steck, a 28-year-old front-desk employee, was working inside. Steck reportedly had no previous relationship with McLeod and was filling in for another employee who could not work that shift.
After a brief encounter at the desk, McLeod shot Steck and fled. She was transported to a hospital in critical condition but died from her injuries on December 28, 2021. Her killing was considered the only clearly random murder committed during the otherwise targeted rampage.
Final Confrontation with Agent Ashley Ferris
Lakewood Police Agent Ashley Ferris encountered McLeod outside the hotel shortly after the shooting. Ferris suspected that he was the armed man police were searching for and approached him. McLeod reached toward his waistband, produced a firearm and shot Ferris in the abdomen.
The bullet caused severe internal injuries and damaged nerves affecting Ferris’s right leg. Despite falling to the ground, Ferris remained conscious, drew her service weapon and returned fire. She struck McLeod multiple times, including with a fatal shot to the chest.
McLeod attempted to move away but collapsed near Ferris’s patrol vehicle. Additional officers arrived, pulled Ferris to safety and secured McLeod. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Ferris underwent emergency treatment and survived, although she faced a lengthy recovery from her injuries.
Victims
- Alicia Cardenas, 44 – Killed on December 27, 2021, inside Sol Tribe Tattoo and Piercing near West Sixth Avenue and Cherokee Street in Denver, Colorado. She was the owner of the business and a prominent tattoo artist, muralist and community advocate.
- Alyssa Gunn-Maldonado, 35 – Killed on December 27, 2021, inside Sol Tribe Tattoo and Piercing in Denver. She worked at the shop and was married to surviving victim Jimmy Maldonado.
- Michael Swinyard, 67 – Killed on December 27, 2021, inside his residence near Cheesman Park in Denver. He had previously been associated with McLeod through cannabis-related business activity.
- Danny Scofield, 38 – Killed on December 27, 2021, at Lucky 13 Tattoo and Piercing in Lakewood, Colorado. He was a tattoo artist who had previously worked with McLeod.
- Sarah Steck, 28 – Shot on December 27, 2021, while working at the Hyatt House hotel in Lakewood’s Belmar district. She died at a hospital on December 28, 2021. Authorities found no prior relationship between Steck and McLeod.
People Wounded
- Jimmy Maldonado – Shot and seriously wounded on December 27, 2021, at Sol Tribe Tattoo and Piercing in Denver. He survived the attack that killed his wife, Alyssa Gunn-Maldonado, and Alicia Cardenas.
- Lakewood Police Agent Ashley Ferris – Shot in the abdomen during the final confrontation with McLeod in Lakewood on December 27, 2021. Although severely wounded, she returned fire and ended the attack.
Investigation and Evidence
Police recovered firearms, ammunition, tactical equipment, handcuffs and other supplies from McLeod’s vehicle. The quantity and nature of the equipment, combined with his movements between several predetermined locations, indicated that the attacks had been planned rather than committed impulsively.
Investigators found that McLeod knew four of the five people he murdered. His prior relationships with Cardenas, Swinyard, Scofield and the people at the attempted home invasion were linked to failed business arrangements, personal disputes and perceived betrayals. Sarah Steck appeared to have been killed because she happened to be present when McLeod entered the hotel.
McLeod’s novels drew particular scrutiny because they included violent scenarios involving people who were later attacked. The writings reflected misogynistic, extremist and grievance-driven beliefs, as well as an obsession with revenge and male dominance. Although fictional writing alone is not proof of a criminal plan, the similarities between his stories and his eventual targets became an important part of the examination of his motives.
Aftermath
The December 27 attacks caused widespread mourning in Denver and Lakewood. Memorials were established outside Sol Tribe Tattoo and Piercing and other locations associated with the victims. Friends, relatives, artists and community members gathered to honor those who had been killed and to support the survivors.
Agent Ashley Ferris was publicly recognized for continuing to confront McLeod after being critically wounded. Her actions prevented him from escaping the Belmar district and potentially attacking additional people. She later received law-enforcement honors, including the Lakewood Police Department’s Purple Heart and Medal of Distinguished Service.
Because McLeod died during the final confrontation, there was no criminal trial. The investigation instead focused on reconstructing his route, identifying his motives, reviewing earlier contacts with law enforcement and determining whether warning signs could have led to intervention before the attack.
Conclusion
Lyndon McLeod’s December 2021 attack was a calculated journey through Denver and Lakewood in which he sought out former associates and other people he blamed for personal and professional failures. Within less than one hour, he murdered Alicia Cardenas, Alyssa Gunn-Maldonado, Michael Swinyard, Danny Scofield and Sarah Steck, seriously wounded Jimmy Maldonado and shot Agent Ashley Ferris.
The attack ended only because Ferris remained capable of returning fire after sustaining a severe gunshot wound. The case remains a disturbing example of grievance-motivated violence in which years of hostility, violent ideation and fixation on revenge developed into a planned mass murder.
