(Sept. 27, 2024) – Four Denver metro teenagers were arrested earlier this month on state organized crime control charges following an extensive investigation by the Aurora Police Department’s Crime Gun Intelligence Unit.
The suspects include Lennon Melgares, 18, of Edgewater, Xavier Chavez, 18, of Aurora, Jayden Velarde, 18, of Morrison, and a 17-year-old Lakewood teenager. Chavez was arrested Sept. 5 by the Aurora police SWAT Team.
Melgares, Velarde and the Lakewood teenager were arrested Sept. 6 in Jefferson County with the assistance of the Jefferson County SWAT Team. The Lakewood teenager is not being identified because he is a minor.
All four suspects face charges in Arapahoe District Court, which were filed under the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act. All four suspects face charges of attempted first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, aggravated intimidation of a victim or witness and felony menacing, among others.
The charges stem from April when investigators from the Aurora police Crime Gun Intelligence Unit began reviewing unsolved shooting cases. Relying on self-developed ballistic evidence from the Aurora police Crime Gun Intelligence Center, investigators connected multiple unsolved shootings in Aurora to other open investigations in Wheat Ridge and Lakewood.
Aurora’s Crime Gun Intelligence Unit took the lead on the investigations, working with detectives from the Wheat Ridge, Lakewood and Lakeside police departments to gather intelligence and build cases against the four suspects. Through the investigations, detectives determined the four suspects were engaged in activity that met the state’s definition of an organized criminal enterprise, stemming from weapons offenses throughout the metro area.
Also participating in the wide-ranging investigation were detectives, officers and professional staff members from Aurora police’s Narcotics Unit, the Direct Action Response Team, the fugitive unit, the K9 Unit, the Gun Violence Suppression Team and the Crime Scene Unit.
The investigations are active and ongoing. Anyone with any information is asked to contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720.913.STOP (7867). Tipsters can remain anonymous and could be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000.
Joe Moylan
Public Information Officer
720.432.5095
AP24-81014