Denver prosecutors have filed two first-degree murder charges against 25-year-old Stephen Long, the suspect arrested following last week’s alleged road-rage shooting on Interstate 25 that killed two brothers after a confrontation.
Long made a first appearance in Denver District Court a week ago and was being held in jail without bond, the Denver District Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday morning.
The shooting along I-25 led to the deaths of Blake Lucas, 21, and Damon Lucas, 22.
These homicides happened around 3 p.m. June 13. After a confrontation between drivers, the shooter apparently pulled out a gun and fatally shot Blake Lucas, according to police reports. When Damon Lucas grabbed onto the suspect’s vehicle, the suspect shot him as he drove off the highway along the West Eighth Avenue exit ramp, police said.
A Denver Police Department detective nearby in an unmarked police vehicle heard gunshots. The detective radioed for assistance. He then followed the suspect, who was driving a red Ford Taurus, until it stopped in west Denver near the intersection of 13th Avenue and Meade Street. Police said they arrested Long without incident.
Blake Lucas was pronounced dead from gunshot wounds along I-25, and Damon Lucas was taken to Denver Health Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
After police detained Long and took him to police headquarters, he waived his Miranda rights to remain silent and voluntarily spoke with a detective about the incident, according to a probable cause statement made available by the district attorney and reviewed by The Denver Post.
“The suspect related that he was driving north on I-25 when a vehicle drives next to him and begins yelling at him,” the statement said. “This vehicle pulls in front of him and cuts him off.” Then, with both vehicles stopped amid traffic along I-25, “the passenger in the vehicle that cuts off the suspect exits his vehicle and approaches the suspect.” That man “begins grabbing and hitting the suspect through his open driver’s window,” the statement says.
“The suspect grabs his handgun and shoots the male,” meaning Blake Lucas, the victim found dead on northbound I-25 under Sixth Avenue, it says. “The suspect related that the driver of the vehicle that cut him off also exited and approached his driver’s side. The suspect drove off and this person held onto his open driver’s window while traveling north on the highway. The suspect then shot this person,” the statement said, referring to Damon Lucas, “who fell off the vehicle.”
Sign up to get crime news sent straight to your inbox each day.
