AURORA | A former mixed martial arts fighter and self-described Aurora anti-violence advocate was sentenced Friday to 51 years in prison for the 2024 fatal shooting of a man outside a Commerce City water park in front of numerous witnesses, including the victim’s young son.
Lumumba Sayers, 47, was sentenced by Adams County District Judge Jeffrey Ruff after a jury convicted him in April of second-degree murder, tampering with physical evidence and attempted tampering with physical evidence, court officials said in a statement.
Prosecutors said Sayers shot 28-year-old Malcolm Watson Aug. 10, 2024, in the parking lot of Paradice Island Water Park after attending a peace rally in Denver. Sayers targeted Watson because he believed Watson was connected to the 2023 shooting death of Sayers’ son in Denver, according to 17th District Attorney spokesperson Chris Hopper.
Sayers was wearing a shirt depicting his slain son when he approached Watson and opened fire. Watson was struck multiple times, including once in the head, police said.
The shooting occurred during the fifth birthday celebration of Watson’s son. Watson was dressed in a “Sonic the Hedgehog” costume at the time.
District Attorney Brian Mason called the killing “an unconscionable and brutal act of violence.”
“Justice is carried out in courtrooms, not in parking lots in front of children by someone seeking revenge,” Mason said in a statement.
Sayers is a former mixed martial arts fighter and self‑proclaimed anti‑violence advocate who founded the Heavy Hands, Heavy Hearts anti-youth-violence organization in Aurora.
The organization’s website says the group is “dedicated to making the streets safer for everyone by instilling youth and young adults with the confidence to resist the temptation of gang and gun violence.”
Commerce City police investigators said it appears Sayers used a ghost gun in the shooting and gave the weapon to a family member afterward.
The gun used in the shooting was never found.
Investigators said cell phone video recorded by a witness showed Sayers rubbing a different gun on Watson’s hands before placing it on the ground a short distance from the victim’s body.
During the two-week trial, Sayers testified that an unidentified person shot Watson and fled the scene. He also claimed he was attempting to retrieve a $15,000 gold necklace that had fallen near Watson’s body. Prosecutors said no evidence supported either claim.
After reviewing video, forensic evidence and witness testimony, the jury convicted Sayers on April 27.
Judge Ruff sentenced Sayers to 48 years for second-degree murder, followed by consecutive sentences of 1½ years each for tampering with physical evidence and attempted tampering with physical evidence, for a total of 51 years in state prison.