DENVER (AP) - A weekend brawl at
a Denver motorcycle show that left one dead and
seven others injured was between a club of
off-duty law enforcement and another group,
lawyers for both biker organizations said
Sunday.
The groups are blaming each other for the clash
that happened early Saturday afternoon at the
crowded Colorado Motorcycle Expo, where members
of motorcycle clubs from across the country had
gathered. Three of the wounded were hit by
gunfire. Another person was stabbed and three
others suffered injuries from a fistfight,
police said.
The melee started when members of the Iron Order
Motorcycle Club, made up of predominantly law
enforcement officers, were jumped by members of
the Mongols Motorcycle Club, said John C.
Whitfield, an attorney representing Iron Order
and a member himself.
But Las Vegas attorney Stephen Stubbs, who
represents the Mongols, said it was Iron Order
members who instigated the alcohol-fueled brawl
by taunting them into an argument that led to
the deadly shooting of a Mongols member.
"None of the Mongols involved in the altercation
had a gun, not even one of them," Stubbs told
The Associated Press. Another club member was
among the injured, he said.
Whitfield said one Iron Order member was shot,
another stabbed and a third beaten.
"We don't have any issue with the Mongols," he
said, adding that if an Iron Order member shot
someone "it absolutely was out of self-defense."
Denver police have refused to release details
about what happened or identify the clubs
involved. They had made no arrests as of Sunday
afternoon, spokeswoman Raquel Lopez said.
Detectives were trying to identify more than one
shooter.
Denver Health Medical Center, where the injured
were being treated, said three patients remained
in critical condition and three in stable
condition Sunday.
The violence put new focus on Iron Order, made
up mostly of police officers and military
personnel, and the Mongols, recognized by law
enforcement as a highly-organized criminal gang.
Members of the Mongols in Denver were charged
with drug trafficking, firearms violations,
witness tampering and other crimes during a
nationwide racketeering investigation involving
the group in 2008.
Iron Order had about 15 members in attendance,
Whitfield said.
Stubbs said he believes Denver police are
releasing few details because the Iron Order
membership includes law enforcement officers.
Lopez said few details were being released
because investigators were still trying to piece
together what happened.
The Colorado Motorcycle Expo was being held at
the National Western Complex and was scheduled
to go through Sunday, but the city ordered
organizers to cancel its Sunday events after the
incident.
A statement posted on the event's website said
it didn't have any information and apologized to
vendors and patrons for any inconvenience.