Donald Ray Young was a 43-year-old detective with the Denver Police Department when he was killed while working an off-duty security detail at a rental hall on West Mississippi Street in Denver on May 8, 2005. He and his partner, Detective John H. Bishop, were in uniform as the event wound down at about 1:00 a.m. when a man who had been denied entry earlier returned with a gun, approached from behind and opened fire. Detective Young was struck and killed; Detective Bishop was wounded. The shooter fled the scene.

Investigators identified 19-year-old Raul Gomez-Garcia as the suspect. He was located and arrested in Culiacan, Mexico, on June 5, 2005, and later returned to the United States to face charges. On October 25, 2005, Raul Gomez-Garcia was sentenced to 80 years in prison for the murder. Detective Young, a 12-year veteran and recipient of the department’s Medal of Honor, left a wife and two young daughters.