A Denver grand jury filed 14 criminal charges against one of five officers involved in a July shooting in Lower Downtown that injured seven people, including the suspect and bystanders, the Denver District Attorney Beth McCann’s office announced Wednesday.

Officer Brandon Ramos faces two counts of reckless second degree assault, three counts of third degree knowing or reckless assault, three counts of third degree assault with negligence with a deadly weapon, one count of prohibited use of a weapon, and five counts of reckless endangerment. Ramos was granted a PR bond, according to the news release.

Two other officers who fired their service guns were not charged.

Ramos’ attorney Leonard Martinez issued a scathing statement objecting to the charges:

“Family and friends of Officer Brandon Ramos are outraged by Denver District Attorney’s decision to file charges against him,” according to the statement. “From the time he was a young boy he always wanted to serve and protect his community. That is exactly what he was doing in the early morning of July 17th.”

Brandon is a four-year veteran of the Denver Police Department and has an “impeccable record.”

“He is seen by his fellow officers as a true leader,” according to Martinez, adding: “the decision to move this case to criminal trial is nothing more than a political act and not about justice or public safety. By filing these charges, District Attorney Beth McCann has not advanced our public safety, she has eroded trust in the system.”

Mayor Michael B. Hancock released a statement of surprise.

“Police officers make split second decisions under difficult circumstances on a daily basis, and those decisions are rooted in keeping people safe,” according to Hancock’s statement. “While the situation remains an unfortunate one, and it’s regrettable that innocent bystanders were injured, I’m surprised to see that the grand jury found the officer’s actions involved criminal intent. As there is now a criminal court case regarding this incident, the city cannot provide additional comments until the case is concluded.”

The shooting happened in the early hours of July 17 when police responded to an altercation as people left downtown bars for the night. Police said Jordan Waddy, now 22, brandished a gun at officers and “posed a significant threat.” Officers opened fire, shooting Waddy several times and injuring six other bystanders. Body camera footage appeared to show Waddy throwing his gun as the shooting unfolded.

An arrest affidavit for Waddy named the five officers at the scene as James Cambria, Megan Lieberson, Ramos, Kenneth Rowland and Alex Enriquez.

“I want to thank the members of the grand jury who have spent many days over the last several months listening to testimony and examining exhibits,” McCann said in a statement. “This is a very serious matter and I appreciate the time and attention each of them devoted to this important decision.”

According to the indictment, the shooting unfolded as officers attempted to talk to Waddy after he got into an altercation with another person outside the Larimer Beer Hall, the indictment said.

Officers Rowland and Lieberson stood directly in front of Waddy as he pulled his handgun from his jacket, the indictment said. No one else was between the officers and Waddy. From the two officers’ view, a brick wall and the front of the Larimer Beer Hall were behind Waddy, but no other people, according to the indictment.

“Fearing for their lives and those of their fellow officers, these two officers fired their weapons,” the indictment said.

Rowland fired four times and Lieberson fired twice. Their decision to shoot at Waddy was legally justified, the investigation determined.

Ramos could see the side of Waddy and fired his gun twice, despite knowing “a large crowd of people” was behind Waddy, according to the indictment. The officer “did not have a clear back drop,” and Waddy never turned to face Ramos with the firearm, the indictment said.

Ramos was not in immediate danger when Waddy began to pull out his gun, and he knew the officers directly in front of Waddy were armed, the indictment said.

“Officer Ramos’ decision to shoot was not legally justified because it was reckless, unreasonable, and unnecessary for the purpose of protecting himself or other officers and he consciously disregarded an unjustifiable risk of injury to the crowd behind Mr. Waddy,” the indictment said.

Ramos caused the injuries of several people whose names are redacted, according to the indictment. Rowland and Lieberson did not cause the injuries of a list of names that were redacted.

According to the arrest affidavit in Waddy’s case, Cambria said he feared for his life. But civil rights attorney Tyrone Glover previously told The Denver Gazette he doesn’t believe the charges against Waddy add up to support the claim he threatened police with the gun he had.

Waddy faces one charge of third-degree assault, a misdemeanor, and three counts of possession of a weapon by a previous offender, a felony.

He is due in court Jan. 11 for a preliminary hearing, where prosecutors present their case to a judge to see if enough evidence exists to send it to trial.

“We’re talking about charges that have nothing to do with officers or officer safety,” Glover previously said. “If he was threatening them with a gun, they would have charged him with threatening them with a gun.”

In response to a grand jury’s decision to criminally charge Ramos, the Denver Police Protective Association officials said in a Wednesday afternoon press conference they would “vigorously defend” Ramos through the process.

They sent out notice to Association members Wednesday they would be helping his legal defense: “Officer Ramos will need our financial assistance for as long as it takes to win this battle.”

They also highlighted the affect the charges may have on the Denver Police Department, which has struggled to fill its ranks in recent years.

“We realize that this indictment will have a chilling effect,” President Tyson Worrell said during a press conference. “The impact that has on recruiting, retention and morale on an already overworked and understaffed department, will be significant.”

Worrell was adamant that Waddy should not have been on the streets in the first place, let alone been allowed to get access to a firearm. He attributed fault to policy failures and the decriminalization of certain offenses. He added this whole process could have been avoided if Waddy had stopped and shown his hands.

“To charge this officer with a felony crime, jeopardizing his career, liberty, for acting as he was trained in the public interest with no malice, ill intent or lack of concern, is unfortunate and sad,” Worrell said.

Shooting victims who spoke out Wednesday at a news conference arranged by their attorney said although they have slowly healed physically, their psychological scars remain.

Yekalo Weldewihet, whose humerus bone was shattered by a bullet, said he now gets “shivers” every time he sees a police officer and feels anxious in crowds.

Willis Small IV, who was injured in his foot, said he chose to stay in this New Year’s Eve because he worried the night could carry a higher chance of shootings.

“I live that on a daily basis. … So I wouldn’t wish this upon anybody,” Weldewihet said in a news conference.

Civil rights attorney Siddhartha Rathod blasted the police department and union for what he said was implying blame on outside factors such as Waddy’s criminal history or food trucks — he referenced a ban on the vendors in LoDo implemented shortly after the shooting — saying the police’s training is to blame for Ramos’ decision to shoot into the crowd.

“It is the failure of Denver to hold its officers accountable that makes it difficult for all police officers,” Rathod said. “Officers may not engage in reckless conduct. They may not shoot into a crowd of 100 to 150 people and expect that there will be no consequences.”

Denver police declined comment on the charges against its officer. McCann declined an interview request by the Denver Gazette Wednesday.