DENVER — A man delivering newspapers was shot in the hand Saturday morning -- moments before his vehicle was stolen from a northwest Denver neighborhood, according to Kurt Barnes with the Denver Police Department (DPD).
About 4:15 a.m., Harold Bassett, who works part-time as a Denver Post delivery driver, left his vehicle running and was dropping off newspapers in the 4900 block of North Perry Street.
"Coming back from the porch, I noticed a gentleman was in my car," Bassett said.
It was too dark to make out the man's face, but Bassett saw the gun.
"I noticed that an object came up to the window," he said. "My gut reaction for some reason, I put my hand up and a shot was fired.”
The man shot through the driver's side window and hit Bassett in his right hand.
"The bullet hit on the inside knuckle of the middle finger," he said.
Bassett said the man driving his stolen Chrysler 300c sped off along with another car he assumed had been tailing him prior to the shooting.
"Somebody had been watching me and their purpose was to steal my car," he said.
Bassett said he called 911 and was taken to the hospital where he received multiple stitches on his hand. He said he will likely need surgery to repair the damage.
“Physically I’m okay," he said. "Mentally, I’m still processing, you know, because someone attempted to murder me who didn’t even know me and that’s the bottom line.”
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact police.
Tipsters can remain anonymous and be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000 by calling Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867. That tip line is operated 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
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