Documents acquired by 9NEWS reveal that Josh Reynolds, a wide receiver for the Denver Broncos, and his friends were shot at after leaving a strip club in the early hours of Friday morning.
Around 3 a.m. on October 18, 911 operators received reports of a shooting near East Hampden Avenue and South Dahlia Street. The initial caller, driving a blue Ford Bronco, stated he had been shot but suddenly stopped responding, sounding as if he was fleeing.
A subsequent caller claimed he was being pursued and reported that two of his companions had been shot, urgently requesting medical assistance. A third caller indicated that shots had been fired at them. GPS tracking placed all three individuals near South Quebec Street and East Union Avenue.
When officers arrived, they found the victims, including Reynolds, who had sustained two gunshot wounds—one in his left arm and another in the back of his head. Another individual had a gunshot wound to his back, while a third was injured by shattered glass. All three had scrapes from climbing over a fence.
Authorities later discovered the victims’ vehicle on southbound Interstate 25, where it showed multiple bullet holes, particularly on the driver’s side and front windshield. Two spent cartridge casings were located behind the vehicle along the highway.
After 9NEWS reported on the incident, the Broncos issued a statement confirming that Reynolds was a victim of the shooting and had received treatment for minor injuries. The team expressed their ongoing support for him and stated they would refrain from further comment to respect the legal proceedings.
On the day of the shooting, Reynolds was present at the Broncos’ facility, where he has been supported by the team. He has been on injured reserve for four weeks due to a fractured finger sustained in a game against the Las Vegas Raiders on October 6 and missed the recent games against the Chargers and Saints, not traveling to the latter where the Broncos won.
While the injuries from the shooting are not anticipated to prolong Reynolds’ injured reserve status, the emotional impact of the incident is expected to be significant.
Prior to the shooting, the victims had spent time at Shotgun Willies, a strip club in Glendale, leaving around 2:45 a.m. They indicated to authorities that there were no issues while at the club. Upon leaving, they were followed by two vehicles that opened fire. Reports detail that the suspects persistently trailed them onto the highway, where Reynolds’ vehicle became surrounded by four other cars, prompting the victims to flee.
Later, the Denver Police announced the arrest of two suspects, Burr Charlesworth and Luis Mendoza. Footage from the strip club showed Mendoza entering just after midnight, where he observed the victims without engaging with anyone. As the victims departed, Mendoza followed them, and multiple other vehicles appeared to be waiting for the group to leave.
After his arrest, Charlesworth informed police that he was “helping” a friend who had asked him to follow the victims due to a prior dispute. He denied firing at the victims, attributing the gunfire to other vehicles but failed to provide descriptions of those cars.
At 29, Reynolds is in his eighth season in the NFL, having previously played for the Los Angeles Rams, Detroit Lions, and Tennessee Titans before signing a two-year, $9 million contract with the Broncos in March.