Owner of tattoo shop left his mark

Denver cops searching for suspects in slaying

Jean Torkelson And Hector Gutierrez, Rocky Mountain News

Published August 24, 2007 at midnight

Text size  

• 0 Comments
• Email
• Print

A long-stemmed white rose and a small bouquet of daisies lay on the doorstep of Mr. Tank's Tattoos, accompanied by a card reading, "A Life Remembered."

The life being remembered Thursday was that of Joshua Trobaugh, the owner of the tattoo shop in east Denver killed late Wednesday inside his business. By Thursday night the small memorial had mushroomed into a makeshift altar with candles.

Selena Sanchez, 22, hung a necklace with a cross from the door of the shop. Sanchez and her mother, Casper Medina, burst into tears as they were leaving. "For me, he was like my big brother," Sanchez said.

David Trobaugh, of South Dakota, said his son had fulfilled his goal of opening a business when he launched the shop in April. He said his son moved to Denver when he was 18 to pursue his fascination with tattoos.

"He was just amazed with tattoos," said David Trobaugh.

The 27-year-old was gunned down at his store in the 6600 block of East Colfax Avenue shortly after 10 p.m. Wednesday. His business often remained open until midnight.

Denver police were looking for two men witnesses said were wearing orange bandanas around their faces and baggy clothes when they shot Trobaugh during a holdup.

Trobaugh was taken to Denver Health Medical Center, where he died.

Trobaugh didn't do the artwork himself - his artistry was in setting up the business and creating the atmosphere, his father said.

"He did the whole shop himself - I mean everything," David Trobaugh said.

Other merchants on East Colfax as well as Trobaugh's friends said he used to throw "tattoo parties" at his home before opening the store. Trobaugh was covered in ink, a model for his product, his friends said.

"He said, 'I might as well open up a shop,' " said Sando Busterna, a neighbor.

Trobaugh enjoyed working on his show car and caring for his three English bulldogs. The tattoo shop was named after his male dog, Tank, who achieved some local fame when he ran into a fire truck, apparently lured by the sound of the sirens.

"That was Tank," David Trobaugh said.

In the southeast Denver neighborhood where Trobaugh had once rented a ranch home with his wife, Andie, one couple said they had fond memories of their neighbor with the hard-to-miss tattoos.

"I thought he was a really nice guy - a really funny guy," said the man, who declined to be identified.

Ed Thomas, owner of World Class Barbers Shop next door, said Trobaugh worked on the shop for about a month before his tattoo and body-piercing business opened.

When Trobaugh opened his store, he was a hit with his neighbors and customers. Once a month, he threw barbecue parties outside the shop. A grill still sat in back of the tattoo shop Thursday.

"This is a pretty good neighborhood," Thomas said. "You wouldn't think something like this would happen here."

Medina, one of Trobaugh's friends, remembered how homeless men and women made their way to Mr. Tank's Tattoos.

"He would offer food and drinks to them," said Medina, who got her first name, "CASPER," tattooed on her right leg by one of Trobaugh's artists. "He wouldn't shoo them away like most owners would do."

Staff writer Rosa Ramirez contributed to this story.

Featured

• Rocky Multimedia

  

  The news comes alive in our videos and slide shows. Catch up on what's happening today.

• Holiday Lights

  

  Is your house the jolliest on the block? Submit your holiday lights display.

• Holiday Gift Guide

  

  Looking to get a jump-start on the holiday shopping season?

• Mount Crushmore

  

  Which four Broncos greats should be immortalized on Mount Crushmore? Vote here.

• Bronco Dean's rant

  

  Listen to Bronco Dean's midweek rant on the Chiefs.

• Broncos Video

  

  Get the latest from Dove Valley as the Broncos prepare for Sunday's matchup.

• Calendar wallpaper

  

  Download this month's desktop wallpaper calendar

• Sam Adams' Open Mic

  

  Open Mic: Stirrin' the Soup with Matt Iseman

• The Rocky @ 150 Years

  

  Read the Rocky's coverage of Colorado's cannibal, Alfred Packer, in 1886.