Two men now face a slew of charges in a shooting that injured Denver Broncos wide receiver Josh Reynolds.
Reynolds and two friends left a Denver-area strip club around 3 a.m. on Oct. 18. They would be closely followed as they left the club and got in their vehicle to leave. While traveling on Interstate 25 near Colorado Boulevard, Reynolds and his passengers were shot at by a car that had been following them. The assailants pursued Reynolds for several minutes, firing multiple shots at his vehicle. Reynolds and his passengers would abandon their vehicle and attempted to escape the gunfire on foot. Thankfully, Reynolds only faced minor head and arm wounds. His passengers would also only sustain minor injuries.
The suspects have since been identified as Burr Charlesworth, 42, and Luis Mendoza, 35.
According to court records and 9News’ Mike Klis, Mendoza faces 23 charges.
- Six counts of attempted first-degree murder;
- Six counts of first-degree assault;
- Three counts of illegal discharge of a firearm;
- Three counts of drug possession;
- Four counts of weapons possession by a previous offender.
- One count of possession of a large-capacity magazine.
Mendoza remains in the Denver County Jail on a $300,000 bail.
Charlesworth faces 15 charges.
- Six counts of attempted first-degree murder;
- Six counts of first-degree assault;
- Three counts of illegal discharge of a firearm.
Charlesworth has been released after posting a $100,000 bail.
Broncos rally around Reynolds: ‘We’re glad he’s still here’
When the shooting occurred, Reynolds was on injured reserve nursing a finger injury he suffered in Week 5 against the Las Vegas Raiders. With the wide receiver only sustaining minor injuries in the shooting, thankfully, it won’t extend how long he is kept off the field.
In the meantime, Broncos players have made sure to show their support for their fellow teammate.
“Definitely a crazy situation where we could have lost one of our teammates in an incident like that,’’ said Broncos’ left tackle Garett Bolles. “I love Josh. I’m super close to him. I don’t want to say too much on it because I know it’s up to the authorities here in Denver and let them handle the situation and hopefully justice is given to the people who were involved in the incident but I’m just thankful. God is good. I think you have to count your blessings knowing that in a lot of situations like that, people don’t always make it out. But Josh is just one of those special kids and we’re grateful that he’s still here.”
Josh Reynolds is here with the team on the #Broncos sideline pic.twitter.com/gaY9m4L4tc
— Scotty Gange (@Scotty_G6) October 27, 2024
According to head coach Sean Payton, the Broncos have set up counseling services for Reynolds and other players if they need it.
“We’ve talked,’’ Bolles continued. “I’ll leave that conversation between us. But he’s a great kid. I know he’s going to make a full recovery and get back on the football field where he belongs and help us win games. But right now we just want to stand behind him and let him know we love him and care for him and want nothing but the best for him.’’
If Reynolds’ recovery is going well, he could be eligible for return after Nov. 10.