1 Dead, 2 Hurt in Shooting at Women’s Shelter

A resident of a battered women’s shelter fatally shot a woman and wounded two other people Wednesday, then barricaded herself in a basement room before giving up, police said.

Juanita Whitaker, 40, who apparently was despondent over an alleged sexual assault, opened fire at the Brandon Center with a .38-caliber pistol, police said.

A woman identified as Jeannie Archuleta, 24, of Denver, an employee at the shelter, died of a gunshot wound at a hospital, police spokeswoman Anne Montoya said.

Two other shooting victims were in serious condition. Ken Sanchez, 29, believed to be the shelter manager, was being treated for a gunshot wound to the abdomen. The other victim, a 31-year-old woman who was a shelter client, reportedly suffered a leg wound.

Officers first thought that Whitaker had taken two children hostage in the basement but discovered she was alone, Montoya said.

Police persuaded her to surrender after negotiating through a steel door for more than an hour.

Montoya said Whitaker, who entered the shelter on Nov. 18, “said she was sexually assaulted on Nov. 23, but there was not enough evidence to make a case, so the case was dropped.” The policewoman said the assault allegedly occurred at a friend’s home.