On the morning of April 10, 1997, a lone gunman entered the Colorado National Bank at 3454 72nd Avenue in Westminster and announced a robbery by firing a shot into the ceiling shortly after 10 a.m. Panic followed and several employees and customers attempted to flee. The shooter fired at least twice into the group escaping; a bullet struck 28-year-old bank employee John Lee, killing him. Another customer was wounded but survived.

The suspect was described as a Black male in his early 20s, about 5 feet 6 inches to 5 feet 10 inches tall and 150–165 pounds. He wore a hooded gray sweatshirt under a dark hooded sports-type coat, dark baggy pants, a dark ski mask and gloves, and fled on foot through an east exit; no vehicle was seen. Lee was single, lived with his parents and was a student at Regis University.

No arrests have been announced and the homicide remains unsolved. If anyone was in the bank that morning or saw someone matching that description near 72nd Avenue on April 10, 1997, investigators would welcome contact.