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Fifth suspect arrested in murder at Yeshiva

With the arrest last week of the fifth suspect in the Aug. 17 slaying of Yeshiva Toras Chaim student Shmuel Silverberg, Denver Police now have in custody all of the individuals they believe were involved in that murder, another near-fatal shooting and a series of other crimes across Denver.

On Wednesday night, Aug. 25, DPD reported via Twitter that the department’s fugitive unit arrested Samuel Fussell, 18, in Greeley.

Few details of the arrest were disclosed, but Denver Police reported that the arrest was made with the assistance of the FBI Safe Streets Task Force and the Greeley Police Dept.

Fussell was reportedly booked into Denver County Jail later on Aug. 25.

The four other suspects in the Aug. 17 crime spree — Isaiah Freeman, 18; Seth Larhode, 21; Aden Sides, 18; and Noah Loepp-Hall, 19 – were arrested by Denver Police on Aug. 19 in two locations in the southwest metro area.

Police have indicated that the original arrests were made with the assistance of the Denver District Attorney’s office and local and federal partners.

All of the suspects are facing an array of charges ranging from first-degree murder, burglary and felony menacing to first-degree auto theft and first-degree assault.

Silverberg, 18, died in a Denver hospital on the night of Aug. 17 after he was shot while standing near the yeshiva’s facility in West Denver and after being pursued into the building. Attempts were made to perform CPR on him by his fellow students after the shooting.

Phil Niedringhaus, regional security advisor for JEWISHcolorado, praised Denver Police for their swift action in locating and capturing the suspects.

“The caring diligence of the Denver Police Department and their collaboration with law enforcement partners brought swift closure to this search for suspects,” Niedringhaus said in a statement issued last week.

As of last week, the position of both JEWISHcolorado and Mountain States ADL was that the murder of Silverberg was most likely not a hate-motivated crime, but that if evidence is found to the contrary hate crimes charges should be added to those already faced by the suspects.

Rabbi Jay Strear, president-CEO of JEWISHcolorado, said in the federation’s statement last week:

“We continue to stand with the Yeshiva Toras Chaim community as they grieve the heartrending loss of a student, and with our greater community to provide support and together, foster a culture of empowerment, collaboration, and vigilance, ensuring that all Jewish organizations operate safely and securely.”

Scott Levin, regional ADL director, added:

“While police do not currently believe Mr. Silverberg was targeted because of his Jewish identity, this horrific shooting shattered a sense of safety and security in the Denver Jewish community and Jewish communities across the country. We appreciate the commitment of law enforcement to continue to investigate the matter and to add hate crimes charges if they are later found to be warranted.”

Copyright © 2021 by the Intermountain Jewish News



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