Shooting after Nuggets NBA Finals win may be drug-related

Two people were arrested in connection to the shooting of 10 after the Denver Nuggets NBA championship victory Monday night — with the altercation possibly stemming from a fentanyl drug deal, cops said.

Denver Police Department Chief Ron Thomas said multiple shots were fired into a small crowd who were still celebrating hours after Monday’s game.

“There were literally tens of thousands of people that were in the downtown area, celebrating and unfortunately, there was a small group of individuals that chose to engage in some illegal behavior,” Thomas said.

Denver Police Commander Matt Clark said “multiple baggies of bundled” fentanyl was recovered at the scene near the shooting.

A 30-second video clip played during a press conference showed a large police presence gathered in the downtown Denver area on Market Street around 12:30 a.m. Tuesday.

The video showed officers running toward the gunshots.

Clark said multiple guns fired at least 20 rounds.

Officers arrested two men at the scene — Ricardo Vasquez, 22, for possession of a controlled substance and weapons possession, and Raul Jones, 33, for possession of a weapon by a previous offender.

Clark said the shootings likely stemmed from a drug deal gone wrong and not connected to the championship celebration.

“Much more investigation needs to be done but certainly does appear to have been a drug nexus,” Clark said. “There were quantities of cash, there was a large amount of drugs, as you can see.

“There does appear to be a collection of individuals who are engaging in some fashion … at some point in time you begin to see an altercation. And I think at the tail end of that altercation is where shots were exchanged.”

Nine men and one woman were shot during the melee, but none of the injuries were life-threatening, a Denver Health Medial Center official said.

Five people who were injured are still at the hospital as of Tuesday morning.

An investigation in ongoing.