18-Year-Old Arrested After Teen Girl Found Shot Dead in Denver

Denver police arrested 18-year-old Jasirr Simmons on suspicion of first-degree murder after a teenage girl was found shot dead inside a residence in the 5500 block of North Tucson Street. Officers responded just after 5:30 p.m. Tuesday to a report of gunfire and discovered the juvenile female lying on her back in a bed with an apparent gunshot wound to the head. Paramedics pronounced the victim dead at the scene about 10 minutes later.

Emergency dispatch records and the probable cause statement detail how initial information pointed toward a self-inflicted injury. “The 911 caller initially told dispatchers the victim had shot herself.” The caller later told investigators he had gone to check laundry in the basement and found the victim in Simmons’ bedroom, according to the PC statement. Investigators interviewed multiple household members and other witnesses as the investigation shifted from an apparent suicide to a homicide probe. “Investigators originally believed the teenage victim shot herself, but later identified Jasirr Simmons as a suspect in her death, police said.”

At the scene investigators reported finding two unfired cartridge casings on the bedroom carpet but were unable to locate a firearm inside the residence. Detectives later recovered a handgun in a trash can on the property of John Amesse Elementary. “Police found a handgun in a trash can at the school and said school surveillance footage timestamps showed that the gun was tossed in the trash can at 5:44 p.m., the PC statement said.” A woman who had been with Simmons earlier told detectives they walked through the school parking lot and that Simmons told her to keep walking; she heard something fall into a trash can as they passed.

Simmons was taken into custody Wednesday and booked into the Denver Downtown Detention Center on suspicion of first-degree murder, according to inmate records. Public reports differ about the next court step; one account lists a Thursday advisement hearing in Denver County Court, while another says a judge will decide Tuesday whether to allow release on bail. The victim’s name has been withheld because she is a juvenile; the Denver Office of the Medical Examiner will complete identification and autopsy procedures.

For neighbors, parents and anyone connected to John Amesse Elementary, the case is a stark reminder of how quickly violence can spill into domestic spaces and public pockets near schools. Ballistics, forensics and the Medical Examiner’s findings will be critical in establishing how the events unfolded and whether the recovered handgun is tied to the casings and wound. Expect prosecutors and Denver police to provide updates as filings, forensic results and court appearances move the case forward.