DENVER, CO – Joseph Gaye, 37, of Englewood, is facing federal time after a jury found him guilty of possessing a firearm despite a prior felony conviction. The case, stemming from a bizarre self-inflicted shooting, reveals a man attempting to mislead police while illegally armed.
On October 19, 2020, Denver Police responded to a reported shooting in the 100 block of North Cook Street. Gaye himself placed the 911 call, claiming he’d been shot by a masked assailant. Officers arrived to find Gaye suffering from a gunshot wound to the groin. But the story quickly unraveled. A thorough search of the building revealed no sign of a shooter, no forced entry, and no other witnesses.
The real weapon surfaced inside a desk near where Gaye was found: a Sig Sauer 9mm pistol with no serial number. The gun, loaded with eleven rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber, was deliberately hidden under a piece of paper bearing Gaye’s name. Detectives also discovered multiple boxes of ammunition stashed nearby. Investigators quickly determined Gaye had shot himself, staging the scene to appear as an attack.
Crucially, Gaye’s criminal history disqualified him from legally owning a firearm. He had a previous felony conviction, making possession of the Sig Sauer and ammunition a federal offense. The three-day trial, presided over by U.S. District Court Judge William J. Martinez, presented the evidence to a jury who delivered the guilty verdict on November 9, 2022.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tom Minser and Albert Buchman led the prosecution, building the case on the physical evidence and Gaye’s demonstrably false account of the shooting. The investigation was a joint effort between the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Denver Police Department.
Gaye is now scheduled to be sentenced on July 19, 2023. This case is part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” initiative, a nationwide effort to reduce violent crime and gun violence. The program aims to foster trust between law enforcement and communities, support preventative organizations, and focus enforcement efforts where they’re needed most. Case number: 21-cr-15.
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