Former MMA fighter turned anti-gun advocate Lumumba Sayers has been accused of shooting and killing a man at a Colorado pool party

Sayers, 46, was arrested Saturday for the murder of Malcolm Watson, 28, during a children’s birthday party in Commerce City, Colorado

Cops allege Sayers shot Malcolm Watson, in August 2023 in Denver, in retaliation for the killing of his son

Lumumba Sayers Jr, was shot and killed same month last year, also in Denver

Malcolm Watson’s sister has protested her brother’s innocence, claiming he had nothing to do with the death of Sayers Jr

Sayers, booked on first-degree murder and menacing, is currently being held on a $1 million bond at an Adams County jail

Ex-MMA fighter, turned anti-gun advocate Lumumba Sayers, [photo], was booked Saturday on first-degree murder and menacing in the death of Malcolm Watson, in Commerce City, Colorado last year August

Denver based former MMA fighter turned anti-gun advocate Lumumba Sayers, has been arrested after allegedly shooting and killing a man at a pool party in Colorado, a year ago. 
Sayers, 46, was taken into custody on Saturday after police say he murdered 28-year-old Malcolm Watson during a children’s birthday party in Commerce City. 
In the arrest affidavit, Sayers is accused of walking up to Watson and shooting him in the head.
Sayers son, Lumumba Sayers Jr, was shot and killed on August 19, 2023, in Denver, the arrest affidavit states.
Law enforcement sources believe Sayers shot Watson in retaliation for his son’s killing. 
Witnesses allegedly told police that Sayers may have thought Watson had been a friend of a man he believed to be somehow involved in the slaying of his son on a street in Denver that same month, last year.

Cops allege Sayers shot Malcolm Watson, [photo], last August in Denver in retaliation for the killing of his son Lumumba Sayers Jr, was shot and killed last August in Denver. However, Watson’s family claimed he had nothing to do with the death of Sayers’ son

Sayers was booked on first-degree murder and menacing. He is currently being held on a $1 million bond, in an Adams County jail.
A news outlet published an interview with Watson’s sister, who said the birthday party had been for the victim’s 5-year-old son. She protested her brother’s innocence, claiming he had nothing to do with the death of Sayers son. 
She said: ‘How is it a revenge killing if my brother isn’t the one who had anything to do with it?.’
She described her brother as a man who wanted to be a great father and care for his family – a loving brother, adding that he was someone who wanted to be a great father, wanted to be around his family and make sure his sisters were all fine.

Lumumba Sayers [photo], heads for the cage before his bout with Derek Brunson at the Strikeforce event at Sears Center Arena on July 30, 2011 in Hoffman Estates, Illinois

Watson’s alleged killer, Lumumba Sayers is well known in the community for his advocacy against youth violence. His gym ‘Heavy Hands Heavy Hearts’ strives to provide a safe haven for local kids, keeping them off the streets. 
According to a profile on him by News 9, Sayers opened the center a few years ago to after he saw kids teaching each other how to throw up gang signs. 
Speaking to the outlet, Sayers said: ‘I think creating a safe space like this keeps them away from violence because their time isn’t idled. They have something to do.’

Lumumba Sayers Jr, was shot and killed last August in Denver. The arrest affidavit suggest his dads was motivated by revenge, but the victim’s family claim he was not involved in the murder of Sayers Jr

He continued: ‘The reason I teach them self-love and self-appreciation is because, if you love yourself, no one can push you into doing something to destroy yourself.
‘I want them to understand that they are loved and I want them to know that they love themselves. I want them to know that they have a place to turn to if they are ever in trouble.’

‘It’s the community that I came from, that we’ve been trying to help, that we’ve been doing things for, that killed my baby’ – Sayers, seen here with his late son Lumumba Sayers Jr [right], is known in the local community for his advocacy against youth violence.

KDVR following the death of his son last year, Sayer described his son as being a beacon of light in the community. 
He said: ‘He was my best friend. He was my everything. He was a great father, great big brother, everything you could ask for in a son.
‘My son touched a lot of lives. He touched a lot of people. He was there for a lot of people. He brought a lot of people who needed help to me.
‘It’s the community that I came from, that we’ve been trying to help, that we’ve been doing things for, that killed my baby.’
Following the shooting on Saturday, Watson’s sister also added: ‘How are you an activist, murdering innocent people.’ 
Sayers has a court appearance on August Thursday 15.