Lumumba Sayers

Lumumba Sayers Jr. was a 23-year-old mixed martial arts fighter and anti-violence advocate from Denver, Colorado. Known for his big heart and flamboyant personality, the young Black man followed in the footsteps of his father, Lumumba Sayers Sr., working to steer youth away from street violence. He was actively involved in his father's Heavy Hands Heavy Hearts Foundation and co-founded the "Glovez Up Gunz Down" movement, which encouraged young people to settle disputes in the boxing ring rather than with weapons. A 2017 honors graduate of Manual High School, Sayers Jr. was a beloved son and a leader in his community.

In the early morning hours of August 19, 2023, violence erupted at the corner of 28th and Welton streets in Denver’s Five Points neighborhood. In a quadruple-victim shooting, Sayers Jr. was fatally wounded. According to his father, he was defending his older sister, who had been shot just moments before. Another man, 25-year-old Gulian Musiwa, was also killed in the incident, and two other people were injured.

Denver police investigated the shooting, and a month later, they arrested 24-year-old Tyrell Braxton on suspicion of first-degree murder and assault. However, the path to justice in the case took an unexpected turn. Prosecutors later dismissed the murder charges against Braxton, and in accordance with Colorado law, the case records were sealed. With no one held responsible, the homicide of Lumumba Sayers Jr. became officially unsolved.

The story took another tragic turn nearly a year after the murder. On August 10, 2024, Lumumba Sayers Sr. confronted 28-year-old Malcolm Watson at a child’s birthday party in a Commerce City park. Watson, who was believed to be a friend of Tyrell Braxton, was celebrating his son’s fifth birthday when Sayers Sr. walked up and shot him multiple times, killing him at the scene. Witnesses and police believed the shooting was an act of retaliation for the unsolved murder of Sayers Jr.

Lumumba Sayers Sr. was arrested and charged with first-degree murder for the death of Malcolm Watson. Following a trial, a jury convicted him of second-degree murder, tampering with physical evidence, and attempt to commit tampering with physical evidence. In July 2026, a judge sentenced him to 51 years in prison.