DENVER – After a series of random stabbings around the 16th Street Mall over the weekend, a local business owner in the area said she’s still holding out hope that planned renovations to the area will help increase safety and bring back customers. .
On Saturday, three people were stabbed along the mall, with a fourth stabbing on Sunday near Union Station. Two people died of their injuries — one of Saturday’s victims and Sunday’s victim, the Denver Police Department (DPD) said. The suspect, identified as 24-year-old Elijah Caudill, was arrested Sunday.
While police have not confirmed the identities of either victim, the Professional Flight Attendants Association reported that Phoenix-based flight attendant Celinda Levno died in a “senseless tragedy” in Denver over the weekend. Loved ones set up an online GoFundMe fundraiser to help with funeral expenses. A friend also identified Saturday’s victim as Levno, but authorities have not yet confirmed that.
Denver
One person arrested in series of deadly stabbing incidents at 16th Street Mall has been identified
Denver7 visited several businesses in the area of the stabbing Monday to hear how people are feeling after the violent weekend. While some people refused to go on camera, we spoke to Diana Ayala, owner of Mermaid’s Bakery.
She opened her business 16 years ago and said the increase in crime in the area, as well as ongoing construction, has had a serious impact.
“I believe people are just afraid to come downtown because of the crime,” she said. “… After COVID, we hoped that we would get through it and then things would just bounce back and pick up and go back to the way they were before. But since then, we’ve found that’s not the case . the crime that has escalated since then, and all the construction, our foot traffic is not back to what it used to be.”
Mermaid’s Bakery closes at 3 p.m. because she doesn’t feel safe staying open later than that, she said.
“It would be nice to see more of a police presence here in the mall, especially early in the morning and later in the evening, of course,” she added.
While Denver7 crews were on 16th Street Monday afternoon, there was a patrol car in the area that didn’t stay long.
Ayala said she remains optimistic about the future of downtown and hopes more can be done to make downtown safer and more attractive to visitors.
“We’re all holding out hope that the 16th Street Mall renovations will bring in the business we need,” she said.
In 2024, Denver police investigated a shooting near the 16th Street Mall that left three people injured and resulted in the arrest of a juvenile. A few years ago, a man attacked others in broad daylight with a pipe in the same area. In September, we reported on the city of Denver’s plans to update a nearly 20-year-old plan in hopes of reimagining downtown. And a few months later, the Denver City Council approved the Denver Downtown Development Authority’s amended plan that outlines how millions of dollars will be spent to renovate downtown over the next decade.
The suspect in this weekend’s stabbings made a brief appearance in Denver District Court Monday morning. Denver police and Mayor Mike Johnston plan to talk about the attacks during a news conference Monday night.
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