2 men charged with attempted murder, assault in Broncos player Josh Reynolds’ shooting

Two men arrested on suspicion of shooting Broncos wide receiver Josh Reynolds after he left a Denver strip club on Oct. 18 have been charged with first-degree attempted murder, assault and other felonies, according to court records.

Burr Charlesworth, 42, and Luis Mendoza, 35, are each charged with six counts of first-degree attempted murder and six counts of first-degree assault, according to online court records for their cases in Denver County Court.

Charlesworth is also charged with three counts of illegal firearm use and Mendoza faces an additional 16 felony charges and one misdemeanor, including illegally using a firearm, possessing a weapon as a previous offender, having a large-capacity magazine and drug-related charges.

The Oct. 18 shooting happened around 3 a.m. after Reynolds and two other people left Shotgun Willies, a strip club in Glendale, according to an affidavit filed against Mendoza that was released Wednesday.

Reynolds arrived at the strip club shortly after midnight. Around 1 a.m., Mendoza arrived at the club, scanned his driver’s license to enter, and then sat in the club and watched Reynolds and his group until they left around 2:45 a.m.

“Mr. Mendoza did not act as expected for a patron of the strip club,” the affidavit reads. “He did not engage with the entertainers, rather he sat in the club and watched the victims.”

When Reynolds left the club, Mendoza followed him out.

Reynolds then drove away in a blue Ford Bronco. Mendoza got into a Hyundai Sonata and followed Reynolds. At least two other vehicles also followed Reynolds, according to the affidavit.

The drivers chased Reynolds on Colorado Boulevard, Interstate 25, East Hampden Avenue and back on Interstate 25, all while shooting at the Ford Bronco, according to the affidavit.

Around 3:10 a.m. near I-25 and E. Belleview Avenue, Reynolds and his companions abandoned the Ford Bronco — which was disabled by gunfire — on the side of the interstate and ran.

All three called 911 minutes later near S. Quebec Street and Union Avenue, according to the affidavit, which noted at least one caller sounded like they were still running.

Reynolds was shot twice, in the left arm and the back of the head, and another man was shot in the back, according to the affidavit. A third victim was wounded by shattered glass, and all three of them were scraped from climbing over a fence.

Charlesworth, the registered owner of one of the vehicles that chased Reynolds, later admitted to police that he followed the victims and had planned to “(expletive) them up.” He said he agreed to participate to help a friend who “had a conflict with the victims,” according to the affidavit.

He denied that anyone in his vehicle fired any shots during the incident, according to the affidavit.

The affidavit does not detail what sort of “conflict” the suspects had with Reynolds or his companions, and the names of Reynolds and his companions were redacted.

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