Arrest made in Wheat Ridge shooting death

After nearly making it through 2015 without a shooting homicide, that streak ended the night of Nov. 15 when Guled Abdullahi Ige, 24, was found in a parking lot off of 44th and Wadsworth with a fatal gunshot wound. Police say the man was incoherent when they found him. Ige was transported to St. Anthony’s Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

Patrol Commander Mark Cooney said witnesses at the scene reported some sort of argument taking place in the parking lot in front of the Walgreens, prior to the sound of a gunshot, and then a dark-colored Chevy Monte Carlo driving away.

Local media was notified of the crime, and police circulated a photo of a woman who was seen on Walgreens surveillance cameras with Ige, prior to the shooting, and might have been a witness. That woman was later identified as Wenona Sims Begay, 26, who presented herself to police two days after the shooting.

“Turns out she wasn’t just a witness, but a suspect,” according to Cooley.

Begay was arrested on charges of second degree murder. Cooley added that investigators believe her to have actually pulled the trigger, though a second suspect who was inside the Chevy remains at large.

The Chevy was later recovered by police, and found to be stolen from the Glendale area.

Cooley said more charges are likely for Begay, and that investigators are still looking to properly identify the other passenger in the vehicle. He said the exact motive of the crime is also still being investigated.

“We’re still sorting it all out but there was definitely an altercation in the parking lot, prior to them leaving,” Cooley said.

Anyone with information about the homicide is asked to call the Wheat Ridge Tip Line, 303-235-2947.