A New Year’s celebration in Denver’s Harvey Park neighborhood ended in the early hours of January 1, 2024, when 42-year-old Mario Rivera was shot at a house party on the 2500 block of South Zenobia Street. Rivera, a construction equipment operator, was struck by multiple bullets, including one to the head, and was rushed to Swedish Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 1:59 a.m. The medical examiner ruled the cause of death a gunshot wound and the manner homicide.

An argument inside the house moved into the front yard, where someone fired a handgun into the crowd. Another man was critically wounded with gunshot injuries to the face, neck, and abdomen. Police initially arrested 42-year-old Anthony Lopez on suspicion of first-degree murder after witnesses said his group, which included his son and daughter, had been involved in an altercation and was asked to leave.

Days later investigators concluded that Lopez’s 19-year-old son, Isaiah Hernandez, fired the fatal shots; Hernandez was arrested January 3 on investigation of first-degree murder and Anthony Lopez’s charge was changed to accessory to a crime. Both cases were pending as of January 2024.

If anyone at the party or nearby that night has information about what led to the shooting, please share what is known.