Drugs were at the bottom of a midday shooting at the intersection of Fairfax and Forest streets in Thornton that left the victim hospitalized and three men in police custody, police say.

The 18-year-old male victim was taken to St. Anthony Central Hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening after several neighbors reported hearing gunshots at 12:33 p.m.

The victim was standing near his truck at the intersection when a group of people pulled up in a dark-colored sport utility vehicle, said Matt Barnes, spokesman for the Thornton Police Department.

A passenger allegedly jumped out of SUV and opened fire, hitting the victim in the left wrist and upper right arm. The injured man then ran to his home nearby at 12757 Fairfax Street, where police discovered him.

This is a subdivision where my ex-husband and I had a house built. It looks as though this crime was committed less than a block from where we used to live. I remember reading years ago that new housing then would be the slums of tomorrow. I guess tomorrow is here. It's too bad. I liked that neighborhood and the house we lived in, but I know with the economy, foreclosures, etc., that it was only a matter of time before the virus spread.