Owners of a Lower Downtown Denver bar where five people were shot publicly thanked Denver Police Thursday, both for officers’ quick actions immediately after the mass shooting and in apprehending the suspected shooter.

After the September shooting outside of Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row, more than 50 Denver Police officers sprang to action, rendering aid, searching for the suspect and eventually finding her more than 900 miles away in California.

Riot Gives Back, the nonprofit foundation of Riot Hospitality Group that runs Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row, honored the Denver Police Department and the officers who responded during the LoDo shooting on Thursday by donating $5,000 to the department’s Denver Police Orphans’ Fund.

“A suspect was apprehended and lives were saved to due to the actions of the men and women from the Denver Police Department. And for that, we thank you,” Lissa Druss,​​​​ external communications and government relations at Riot Hospitality Group, said.

A neighborhood group, which includes The Ballpark Collective, the LoDo Neighborhood Association, downtown residents and Riot Hospitality Group, had been meeting with Denver police and city leaders for over a year in hopes of cleaning things up in the area — something Druss says has been coming to fruition.

“The increased police presence has brought a renewed life of safety and security, and I’m happy to say LoDo is back,” she said.

The foundation was started by Riot Hospitality Group in 2022 and was created to support “responders, military members, and veterans and the compassionate care for children,” according to a press release from the foundation.

Along with the donation, 23 officers received a plaque for their actions during the Sept. 16 shooting. Twenty-nine additional officers received acknowledgment for their roles in rendering aid and investigating the incident, leading to the eventual arrest of suspect Keanna Rosenburgh in Barstow, California on Oct. 19.

“We don’t do this job for the recognition or the accolades. We do it because it’s the right thing to do,” Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas said. “I am not surprised at the response immediately after that horrific incident occurred. I am certainly proud that we all jumped into action and took those life-saving measures.”

In a report following the September shooting, Denver Police told The Denver Gazette that the force has added additional resources on weekends and “will continue evaluating this incident and other trends to determine how and where to best deploy the officers.”

Denver police data showed that, from Jan. 1 through Sept. 16, 2023, officers responded to 57 shootings in the area — including the River North Art District (RiNo) to the north, and LoDo and Union Station to the south.

Only a few months before, on June 13, 10 people were shot in the area of 20th and Market, including a suspect, after the Denver Nuggets secured the franchise’s first NBA Championship — the same area as the previous incident.

“As the center of arts, culture and nightlife in the state, it is imperative that we continue to keep downtown a place that people want to live, work and play,” Denver’s District 10 Councilman Chris Hinds said in a statement read at the event. “As a council member, I am closely working with other city officials to help pedestrianize downtown streets, increase lighting and help activate underutilized spaces that attract crime.”

The donated money will go toward the Denver Police Orphan’s Fund, which provides financial support for the children of deceased or disabled Denver Police officers.