Struggling to secure a hotel-turned-homeless shelter, the Denver police have decided to deploy “covert assets” to the building that has been the setting of seven deaths since January, not counting the shooting of a woman on Wednesday.

That shooting occurred despite an increase in security measures following a double homicide at the homeless shelter less than two weeks ago.

In response to growing security concerns at the former DoubleTree hotel in Central Park, Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas said his department has “deployed covert assets in order to identify where there may be weapons or other illegal contraband.”

“Those efforts have been successful,” Thomas claimed.

It’s not immediately clear when the police deployed covert assets — more specifically, whether the deployment occurred after the March 16 double homicide or after Wednesday’s shooting.

Thomas did not elaborate on the “successes” of his officers.

The police said they arrested two suspects in connection to the shooting on Wednesday night.

Officers had found a woman inside a room, suffering from a gunshot wound in the neck, according to Chief Ron Thomas, who spoke to media outside the police department on Thursday afternoon.

Police said she was taken to a hospital and is expected to survive.

Officers arrested Cameron Ware, 34, on suspicion of attempted murder. Authorities believe he and the victim knew each other and she was “targeted because of a prior conflict,” the police said in a news release.

The police also arrested William Jackson, 43, also for attempted murder.  

Both suspects are shelter residents, he said.

Ware was identified via surveillance video and was tracked into a separate room after the shooting, police said.

Following the double homicide, the mayor’s office said it was imposing new protocols at the 289-room shelter. Notably, the hotel and surrounding would see an increase in police presence, administration oversight and staffing, according to the mayor’s office.

In addition, the hotel would also begin a badging system for access by residents and staff. The administration said it was part of a “seven-step” plan with “immediate actions and long-term solutions that will help sustain the continued success of the effort surrounding homelessness.”

Since the double homicide, Thomas, the police chief, said there have been eight security guards deployed on-site at the shelter.

The police identified the homicide victims as Sandra Cervantes and Dustin Nunn. They were found dead inside a room around 9:40 p.m. on March 16. No arrests have been made in connection with their deaths.

The area has been a troubled spot since transitioning into a shelter only three months ago. The city is leasing the former hotel for $83,333.33 a month for up to 15 months. As of Thursday, 305 people reside at the shelter, according to the mayor’s office. 

Seven people have died at the former hotel since Jan. 19, according to data obtained by The Denver Gazette via a public records request.

And between Oct. 1 and Jan. 12, dispatchers fielded 1,212 emergency 911 calls from the shelter and within 1,000 meters of the building.

When asked if homeless people are “safe” at the hotel or “safer” out in the streets, Department of Housing Stability Director Jamie Rife, who joined the police chief during Thursday’s press briefing, insisted that homeless people are “safer” inside shelters. 

“Our belief is that once we get people inside, they are safer,” she said. 

The Denver Gazette’s news partners 9NEWS contributed to this report.