Lumumba Sayers Sr. shot and killed a 28-year man over the shooting death of his son

An Adams County District Court judge sentenced longtime Aurora anti-violence champion Lumumba Sayers Sr. to more than five decades in prison for gunning down a 28-year-old man in front of children at a birthday party.

Malcolm Watson was shot at his son’s fifth birthday party outside of a public pool in Commerce City on Aug. 10, 2024.

Sayers Sr. walked up to the scene with a handgun and shot Watson multiple times in the head and body in front of Watson’s family and friends, according to prosecutors in his April murder trial.

The defendant then walked back to his car, handed a package to his daughter and a man identified as “Rico,” and then walked back to Watson’s body with another handgun, the prosecution said.

Video footage showed Sayers Sr. fumbling with Watson’s body, allegedly rubbing the unregistered handgun on Watson’s hands before placing it next to his body.

A jury convicted Sayers of second-degree murder, tampering with physical evidence and attempt to commit tampering with physical evidence.

17th Judicial District Judge Jeffrey Ruff sentenced Sayers to 51 years in prison.

“This outrageous public killing shocks the conscience and breaks the heart,” District Attorney Brian Mason said in a news release. “Mr. Sayers murdered the father of a young boy at that boy’s fifth birthday party, an unconscionable and brutal act of violence. This is particularly heartbreaking because Mr. Sayers had devoted part of his career to advancing the message of anti-violence. Justice is carried out in courtrooms, not in parking lots in front of children by someone seeking revenge.”

Ironically, Sayers Sr. built a foundation in Aurora in 2015 called Heavy Hands, Heavy Hearts Center. The foundation’s aim was to pull kids off the streets with movie nights, Thanksgiving dinners, fitness classes, mountain camping trips and girls empowerment gatherings. Fundraising events were aimed at youth violence prevention.

But all that changed when Sayer’s son, Lumumba Sayers Jr., Audell Thomas, Sayers Jr.’s sister and Gulian Musiwa were shot in Denver on Aug. 19, 2023. Sayers Jr. and Musiwa later died from their injuries.

Many witnesses testified that Sayers was obsessed with his son’s death, and even once said that his son was going to come back to life.

“Gun violence and gang interaction is generational,” Sayers Sr. said during his testimony during trial.

The Commerce City Police Department investigation showed that Sayers likely used a ghost gun and gave the firearm to a family member immediately after the shooting. The murder weapon was never recovered. 

“Mr. Sayers’ actions directly undermined the work he claimed to dedicate his life to,” Mason said. “A man who presented himself as a mentor to young people and an advocate for nonviolence chose to commit the very act he said he stood against. The murder of Malcolm Watson was unnecessary, heinous, and ran counter to the values of community trust and genuine gun‑violence prevention.”