People exit the Denver Motorcycle Expo after shooting
The club that fought the Iron Order during a Motorcycle show in Denver say their members acted in self-defense during the brawl that left 1 person dead and 7 others shot, stabbed and/or beaten.
A member of the Mongols MC was killed when he tried to disarm an Iron Order puke who was pointing a gun at a crowd, Las Vegas attorney Stephen Stubbs said Thursday in the latest salvo in the clubs' ongoing dispute over who sparked the fight.
Victor Mendoza, 46, charged toward the gunman and was shot, Stubbs said during what he described as the Mongols' first-ever press conference, held at a VFW hall. Two Mongols who refused to speak or give their names flanked him.
Stubbs had no comment about the 7 others hurt during the Saturday brawl at the Colorado Motorcycle Exposition, where other MC’s from around the country gathered.
Iron Order's lawyer, John C. Whitfield, said a Colorado Department of Corrections officer who belongs to his club opened fire during the brawl in self-defense after its members were jumped by a group of Mongols. Stubbs' account makes absolutely no sense, he said.
Iron Order's members are composed of mostly of law enforcement officers, prison guards and military personnel that get a kick playing weekend biker then go back to their regular jobs during the week.
As of yet no charges have been filed and the Denver cops would not comment on either side's story of the fight, saying that detectives were still interviewing people involved. They have said more than 1 person opened fire, and they were analyzing more than 1 gun to determine who fired the fatal shot.
"Running to the top of the stairs, pointing a gun at a crowd below, and shooting an unarmed man that bravely tries to disarm you cannot be self-defense," Stubbs said.
He also added, "If you are an unarmed man that is charging some intoxicated lunatic at the top of the stairs that is waving a gun at a crowd of people, that is definitely self-defense."
Corrections officer and Iron Order member Derrick Duran was put on paid leave while authorities investigate his story. He did not immediately return calls seeking comment Thursday.
Stubbs called Mendoza a dedicated family man that sacrificed his life trying to save others.
Others involved in the brawl have not been identified.