A gay couple’s return home turned terrifying when an argument with two e-bike riders allegedly escalated into a shooting outside their Colorado apartment complex, leaving one husband with a gunshot wound to the head.
The incident happened at about 9:30 p.m. on August 1 near the entrance to the couple’s apartment complex in Commerce City, according to police information reported by KDVR News.
The husband who was shot was sitting in the passenger seat while his husband, who made the report to the police, was behind the wheel.
From Road Rage to Gunfire
According to the affidavit obtained by KDVR, the confrontation began as a road-rage dispute involving the couple’s vehicle and two people riding an e-bike.
Investigators reviewed surveillance footage that showed the vehicle traveling west with the riders behind it. The riders turned toward the couple’s apartment entrance, while the couple initially continued down the road.
The vehicle later turned around and headed back toward the entrance.
The footage then captured a light appearing to resemble one attached to a weapon being directed toward the vehicle. The car eventually drove away as the shooting took place.
One of the e-bike riders later told detectives that the vehicle had nearly struck him. He also alleged that the driver swerved and repeatedly brake-checked him. He acknowledged that he had shouted derogatory names at the gay couple, who, according to his account, responded by yelling back.
The confrontation intensified when the vehicle returned.
The Suspect’s Story Changed
Jacob Sifuentez was later identified and arrested in connection with the shooting.
When officers first encountered him, he was reportedly standing near the area where a shell casing had been found. Sifuentez told an officer that he had heard a “pop” and seen police vehicles but claimed he knew nothing about a shooting.
Detectives later questioned him, and he initially denied involvement, saying he had been at home. After investigators presented information they said contradicted his story, Sifuentez invoked his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent.
That changed after officers informed him that he was being arrested.
According to the affidavit, Sifuentez then said he wanted to admit what happened.
READ: Gay Men Punched and Kicked in Manhattan After Anti-LGBTQ Slurs
Why Sifuentez Says He Fired
Sifuentez told detectives that the confrontation had become threatening. Like the other rider, he said the vehicle had nearly hit them, swerved, and brake-checked them. He also claimed the people inside the vehicle were yelling and threatening to kill the riders.
When the vehicle returned, Sifuentez said he pulled out his pistol and activated its light. He told investigators that he saw the driver with one hand free and became concerned that he might have a weapon.
Sifuentez said he was frightened and reacted by firing once toward the car before fleeing, according to the affidavit.
He later told detectives he believed he should face the consequences after learning about the victim’s condition. He also reportedly directed officers to the gun, which he said was inside his wife’s vehicle.
Sifuentez faces two counts of attempted first-degree murder.
The case remains an active criminal matter, and the allegations described in the affidavit have not been established as facts in court. While the reported slurs are an important part of the encounter, the information provided does not establish that the shooting was legally classified as an anti-gay hate crime.
For the couple, however, what began as an ugly confrontation on the road ended with one husband suffering a serious gunshot injury just outside the place they called home.