Mementos of Dominic Gonzales' short life and reminders of his untimely death fill the small living room in his family's home.

Dozens of sympathy cards line the shelves. Framed pictures of the smiling 18-year-old sit on the floor, on chairs. An enlarged color copy of his prized driver's license hangs on the wall.

Dominic Gonzales died early Feb. 18 after someone in a car near 47th Avenue and Beach Court shot him.

He is one of eight homicide victims in Denver this year. Half died in suspected gang violence, though none of the four was involved in a gang themselves.

"I'm stunned," Denver city councilman Michael Hancock said of the number of suspected gang-related homicides. "It's worse than what I thought."

What is a gang killing and what is not is a matter of debate.

Although suspects in two of the four killings are gang members - and in the other two investigators have told family members they believe that gangs were involved - Denver police won't label any of the cases gang-related until they have a suspect in custody, said Detective Virginia Quiñones, department spokeswoman.

"Unless we know for certain, we are not going to label them," Quiñones said.

But the Rev. Leon Kelly, who has worked with street gang members for more than two decades, said he believes that gang members are behind the four shooting deaths.

"After 22 years of dealing with the madness in this city, I know a lot," he said of the street violence. "I've seen the ups and downs, and we're on the up."

The victims

• A promising young Denver Broncos cornerback who had escaped street violence in his native Fort Worth, Texas, was gunned down after leaving a New Year's Eve party.

• An 18-year-old freshman in college who was home for the weekend was shot and killed two blocks from home Feb. 8.

• A high school senior who hoped to become a police officer and changed schools to do better in math was killed by a bullet fired from a car Feb. 18.

The three young men all had promising futures and had managed to escape street gangs. None was likely the intended target, said Kelly, director of the Open Door Youth Gang Alternatives program.

• The fourth victim was Kelvin Mitchem, 44, who was shot and left for dead in the street Feb. 17. Mitchem had a criminal record but no known gang ties.

Police are looking for a known gang member as a suspect, according to an affidavit.

The Rocky Mountain News is withholding the name of the suspect, who remains at large, to avoid compromising the investigation.

The eight killings in the first two months of the year is on a par with the city's 10-year average.

Hundreds of lives affected

The lives of four men have been taken, but hundreds of people are feeling the reverberations. The families of Darrent Williams, Gilbert Garcia, Kelvin Mitchem and Dominic Gonzales can attest to it.

"My grandson didn't deserve to die, nobody does," Larry Gonzales said. "This violence has to stop now."

The night that Dominic Gonzales was shot, police and hospital workers told his family there had been other shootings that night that could have been gang initiations.

"You don't have to be in a gang to get hurt," Larry Gonzales said. "You could look at someone the wrong way and they'll take it out on you."

Gilbert Garcia, born prematurely, weighed 3 pounds at birth, said his mother, Melissa Rodarte.

"He fought to live. He went through a lot of milestones," she said.

"He was a big special part of us. He was the oldest grandson."

Two hours into the new year, Denver police had a high-profile killing on their hands. Denver Bronco Darrent Williams was dead in a drive-by shooting.

They soon found the vehicle from which they believe the bullets came. It was registered to Brian Hicks, a gang member.

Hicks was in a Denver jail at the time of the shooting but another gang member, Willie Clark, has been identified as a person of interest in the case.

Family members of Garcia and Gonzales are nearly positive their boys were killed by gang members.

"If you're not in a gang, you don't just shoot people from a car," said Larry Gonzales, Dominic Gonzales' grandfather. "I'm sure it could possibly be gang related."

Seeking a solution

Last week, Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey told the city council that his office would need $460,000 to reconstitute a team specializing in gang prosecutions.

The money would be used to add two attorneys and an investigator to the unit, he told the council.

Council members encouraged him to submit a proposal, indicating that they would support it.

Councilman Hancock called violence against innocent people "startling and stunning."

"There are segments of our communities that feel unsafe, children feel unsafe to go to the parks," Hancock said. "As lawmakers, a police department, as a civic leader, we need to make people feel better about living in their communities."

Mayor John Hickenlooper is working with Morrissey and Chief of Police Gerry Whitman to combat the gang problem.

"It's not a new problem, but it is challenging and increasingly complex," Hickenlooper said in a statement. "We continue to work . . . to strengthen our prevention, intervention and enforcement efforts."

Hickenlooper said that families and community involvement are needed to help turn kids away from gangs.

"We all deserve to feel safe in our homes and neighborhoods," he said.

Gang violence in California prompted legislators to propose more than a dozen bills aimed at combating gangs, from longer prison terms to lifetime GPS monitoring.

Colorado legislators have one bill pertaining to gang violence pending. Senate Bill 07-197 would create a hotline for children to call to anonymously report dangerous or violent crimes, including suspected gang activity. The bill is sponsored by Sen. John Morse, D-Colorado Springs.

It's been eight days since Dominic Gonzales was buried. The roadside memorial where he died has been taken down and the tears from his family have slowed a bit, but their emotional wounds are still fresh.

"We want to keep Dominic's name alive," said his grandmother Davida Gonzales. "We want a permanent sign that says, 'Stop the Violence.' "

Violent start to the year

While some law enforcement officials are hesitant to label any homicide gang-related, the Rev. Leon Kelley says he's "seen the ups and downs, and we're on the up."

1. Darrent Williams

• Age: 24

• Died: Jan. 1

• Occupation: Denver Broncos cornerback

• Children: 7-year-old son, Darius, and 4-year-old daughter, Jaelyn.

• How he died: Williams died of a gunshot wound in the neck after someone in an SUV opened fire, spraying the limo he was in at least 14 times. Williams was riding with several others in a large rented limousine when the shots were fired from a white Chevrolet Tahoe near W. 11th Avenue and Speer Boulevard.

2. Gilbert James Garcia

• Age: 18

• Died: Feb. 8

• Occupation: Freshman at Adams State College in Alamosa. He aspired to be a nurse.

• Children: None

• How he died: Garcia was home from college for the weekend when he was shot one time in the head. Bullets from a passing car hit the teen, killing him instantly. Some believe it may have been retaliation for an earlier shooting in the neighborhood. Family and police say Garcia was not involved in gangs.

3. Kelvin Mitchem

• Age: 44

• Died: Feb. 17

• Occupation: Unknown

• Children: Unknown

• How he died: He was found shot to death in the 2100 block of Arapahoe Street. The suspect is a known gang member.

4. Dominic Paul Gonzales

• Age: 18

• Died: Feb. 18

• Occupation: High school senior

• Children: None

• How he died: Gonzales was with friends near 47th Avenue and Beach Court to show off his new car and driver's license. Words were exchanged with people in a car, and he was shot at least once.

What they're saying

• Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey: "I want to restore the DA Gang Unit to be fully functional in a way that will allow prosecutors in my office to be out in front of this issue, to vigorously prosecute violent gang activity and to prevent gang activity and the impact it has on our quality of life. This has been an ongoing goal since I became district attorney."

• Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper: "Our community must work together to create more compelling alternatives and support systems that empower our youth to reject gang activity in favor of positive choices. Every child and every family in our community deserves this kind of support and opportunity, and we all deserve to feel safe in our homes and neighborhoods."

prietob@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5219

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