Denver DA: No charges will be brought against 9 officers who fatally shot carjacking suspect
Photo courtesy of the Denver District Attorney's Office
No charges will be brought against nine Denver police officers who fatally shot a carjacking suspect in May, the Denver District Attorney’s Office said Thursday.
In a statement, District Attorney Beth McCann said the shooting of 22-year-old Cedrick Vick was legally justified. Vick was being pursued by multiple officers for allegedly shooting at several people and stealing a car at gunpoint, she said.
“At the moment they discharged their firearms, the officers knew that Mr. Vick had fired his gun at least twice before shooting at and carjacking a woman who was holding a young child; that his gun was real, and that he was willing to shoot at both civilians and police,” McCann said.
“Mr. Vick posed an immediate threat to public safety and these nine officers were more than justified in using deadly force to stop him.”
The shooting happened on the afternoon of May 14 in southwest Denver after police received multiple 911 calls reporting a man firing a gun near 4404 Morrison Road.
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According to multiple witness statements, Vick fired a gun into the air several times and then threatened to kill a man selling corn out of a cart. After the man ran away, Vick shot three times at a woman who was unbuckling her baby from the backseat of a car, prosecutors said.
The woman ran into a nearby building with her baby, at which point Vick approached another woman sitting in her car with three young children, prosecutors said.
Vick allegedly pointed the gun at the woman and told her to get out. Two of the children, 12 and 8, ran away but the woman stayed to get her infant grandson out of his carseat. While she tried to unbuckle the baby, Vick told her to leave him in the car, prosecutors said.
The woman refused and got the baby out. While she was running away with the baby in hand, Vick allegedly fired a shot at her, before driving away. Neither the woman nor the baby were hit.
Police said they chased Vick in the stolen car briefly, at which point Vick fired multiple gunshots at the officers out of the window. Vick then crashed into multiple vehicles and came to a stop.
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After the crash, prosecutors said Vicky fired two more shots from inside of the car, prompting the nine officers to fire their weapons. Vick was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.
In total, 109 shots were fired by police and 29 hit Vick in the head, chest and abdomen, according to McCann’s decision letter. An autopsy also found cocaine, fentanyl and cannabis in Vick’s system, prosecutors said.
No bystanders or officers were hurt in the incident.




