Two teenagers were found dead from apparent gunshot wounds inside a Lakewood home Monday morning, in a case police are investigating as a suspected murder-suicide. Officers identified one of the victims as 18-year-old Yorbelis del Valle Gutierrez-Arenas, a Lakewood resident, while the second victim, a 16-year-old boy, will not be publicly identified because he is a juvenile.
Lakewood police responded around 9:43 a.m. Monday to a residence in the 1200 block of Benton Street after receiving a 911 call reporting that multiple people had been shot, according to Denver7. Both Gutierrez-Arenas and the 16-year-old boy were found dead at the scene. Investigators have not said who the suspected shooter was, and the station's report notes that the case remains under investigation.
No Ongoing Threat, Police Say
Investigators told reporters there is no ongoing threat to the community, even as key details of what happened inside the home remain unclear. Per the same account, detectives have not disclosed a motive or clarified the relationship between the two teens.
The Lakewood Police Department logged the case under case number LK26-022609, according to an Lakewood Police Department post, which similarly confirmed that agents found no ongoing public threat tied to the shooting. Lakewood, located directly west of Denver, is the most populous city in Jefferson County with an estimated population exceeding 155,000 residents.
State Storage Laws and Red-Flag Options
Colorado law requires firearms to be securely stored in a safe or with a locking device when not in use, and it is a Class 2 misdemeanor to store a gun where an unsupervised juvenile can access it, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Separately, Colorado's expanded Extreme Risk Protection Order framework allows law enforcement officers, family members, healthcare providers, educators, and district attorneys to petition courts to temporarily seize firearms from people deemed a threat to themselves or others, per the Colorado General Assembly.
Public health officials across the Denver metro region have flagged youth access to firearms as a persistent concern. In a joint statement issued in November 2025, Denver Metro public health agencies reported that one in five Colorado teenagers said they could access a loaded firearm without adult permission in under an hour, according to the Adams County Health Department.
A Mixed Picture on Youth Suicide Trends
Statewide data shows some improvement even as access concerns persist. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment reported that the state's youth suicide rate for ages 10 to 18 fell to 5.85 deaths per 100,000 in 2024, or 39 total deaths, down from a peak of 12.91 per 100,000 in 2020. Even so, firearms are involved in more than 70% of all suicide deaths in Colorado, according to data cited by Poudre School District.
During the 2024-2025 school year, Colorado's Safe2Tell anonymous tip line received a record 31,177 reports, with suicide threats remaining the single most reported category statewide, the Colorado Attorney General's office noted. Separately, a 2024 state law known as HB24-1348 now requires handguns left in unattended vehicles to be kept in a locked, hard-sided container out of plain view, an effort aimed at curbing the flow of stolen guns that can end up in the hands of minors.
The Lakewood case remains under investigation, and police have not released additional details about what led to the deaths of the two teens. Coloradans in crisis can reach free, 24/7 support through Colorado Crisis Services by calling 844-493-8255 or texting TALK to 38255, or by contacting the 988 Colorado Mental Health Line.
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