On Jan. 4, 2015, Daerius Churchill walked along Bruce Randolph Avenue on his way to a recording studio to make music with friends when someone began shooting from a passing car.

Churchill collapsed on the sidewalk. He died less than an hour later at a hospital, becoming the first homicide in Denver in 2015.

By year’s end, 50 people would be killed on Denver’s streets, making it the most violent since 2006.

Homicide victims Daerius Churchill, 22

John Shoeboot, 53

James Brown III, 42

Abdul Muhammad, 22

Francis Canham, 66

Marlow Jenkins-Martin, 27

Randy Canister III, 19

Tyrael Adams, 28

David Edwards, 53

De.Anthony Williams, 30

Jeffrey Starks, 27

Rachel Aboytes, 21

Edward Evans Jr., 62

Abdul Muhammad, 61

Christopher Flores, 21

Nolan Ware, 22

Dominique Perez, 26

Armando Uribe, 34

Samuel Grady, 61

Camille Harrell, 29

Harry McCabe Jr., 25

William Romo Rodriguez, 41

Javion Johnson, 1

Carlos Ruiz-Reyes, 22

Eric Walker, 46

Jorge Lopez-Ramirez, 17

Dydrick Martin, 47

Derrick Wilford, 36

Karla Garcia, 1

Jose Frias-Olivas, 61

Judith Katchen, 78

Tracy Winn, 48

Dwayne Banks Sr., 33

Darren Bloomquist, 49

Jeremy Garcia, 29

Bobby Brown, 34

Donald Johnson, 26

Travis Kimbrough-Sanders, 34

Sergio Evelyn-Moe, 28

Dareon Tarbor, 30

Isaiah Roquemore, 28

Jacob Wiens, 24

Eric Hines Jr., 27

Christopher Nelson, 32

Cristian Martinez, 21

Joel Gomez-Chavez, 20

Gregory Carlson, 54

D'Andre Mayfield, 20

Jeffery Scherff, 44

Renita Jackson, 51

The Denver Post tracked the city’s homicides throughout the year to explain how people are killed, where homicides happened and who died. Gangs and guns were common themes, and many of the murders remain unsolved.

Of the 50 killed, 37 died from gunshots. Ten victims, or 20 percent, were white, even though whites make up 80 percent of the city’s population.

Only five were female. The average age was 34. Two neighborhoods bore the brunt of the violence. And an additional seven people were killed by law enforcement.

Denver’s jump in homicides followed a national surge. Still, its projected 2015 murder rate was lower than average among the nation’s 30 largest cities.

Aside from gang violence, dozens of people died at the hands of others in shootings, stabbings, beatings and drownings that were not pinned on gangs.

Denver’s death toll included Judith Katchen, a 78-year-old grandmother who was stabbed and beaten in her home. Katchen, the oldest of those killed, enjoyed playing bridge and followed the stock market.

Two infants — Javion Johnson and Karla Garcia — died before their life stories were written. Their mothers have been accused in their deaths.

And there was Renita Jackson, a 51-year-old mother of two who became the last victim when she was stabbed to death on Dec. 2 at an apartment complex on South Federal Boulevard. Jackson, a mother and grandmother, was known as an avid Broncos fan who gathered her grandchildren for festivities on July 4, Halloween and Christmas.

The killings took a toll on the families of those who were lost and raised concerns about public safety, especially in Northeast Denver where the most violence occurred.

“It’s just really heartbreaking when you have to bury your son,” said Therell Churchill, Daerius Churchill’s mother. “That’s every parent’s worst nightmare and mine has become a reality.”

No one has been arrested in the 22-year-old Churchill’s death. Or Katchen’s. Or Jackson’s.