On the second anniversary of a shooting at a Denver restaurant that left two people dead, police are still searching for a suspect.
Anyone with information about the shooting that leads to an arrest is eligible for a cash reward of up to $32,600, according to the Denver Police Department.
On April 24, 2023, Emerall Vaughn-Dahler and Ignacio “Nacho” Gutierrez Morales were shot and killed inside the American Elm restaurant in Denver’s Highland neighborhood.
Police said their bodies were found inside the restaurant at West 38th and North Raleigh Street, which was closed for two weeks after the shooting.
Both victims were employed by American Elm — Vaughn-Dahler, 34, as the general manager and Gutierrez Morales, 58, as a prep cook. They were both working when the shooting happened.
“Two years have passed, but their killer has not been identified,” Denver police officials said in a post on social media. “Even the smallest detail could be the breakthrough this case needs.”
Police are asking anyone who was in the 4100 block of West 38th Avenue between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. on the day of the shooting, or anyone who has learned anything about the shooting since, to call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers tip line at 720-913-7867.
Tipsters must call the tip line to be eligible for the $32,600 reward, but they can remain anonymous.
In the months following the shooting, the reward steadily climbed from $2,000 to $25,000 through a series of community fundraising events. The reward hit $32,600 in October 2023 and has remained there.
Sign up to get crime news sent straight to your inbox each day.
