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Denver police release bodycam footage of two shootings involving officers

The Denver Police Department released bodycam footage of two October incidents that led to officers firing their handguns.

In addition to releasing the videos, Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas and Major Crimes Division Commander Matt Clark also held a press conference on Friday to brief the public on the two officer-involved shootings.

The first incident occurred around 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 18 in the area of E. 46th Ave. and North York St., when officers responded to a call that a man was walking around and threatening people with a handgun.

Officers found a man that fit the description, walking with a bookbag, with a dog following him. Several cops approached the man. It’s not immediately clear when he started carrying what looked like a handgun — before or after officers approached him. But, at some point, had an object that looked like a handgun, the footage showed.

The man walked away from the officers, who demanded that he dropped the object.

“Drop the gun,” one officer could be heard saying. “Come on, bro, it’s not worth it,” another said.

“How can we help you? What do you need?” one of the officers said.

It appeared the man raised the weapon to his head, and the officers fired on him. Around eight gunshots can be heard in the video.

Thomas later said that the object was an airsoft gun, fashioned to look like a handgun.

“It’s very difficult the way that these firearms are made. Sometimes, there’s no distinguishing what the actual projectile that comes out of the weapon is,” Clark said.

The man was taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition. He survived his injuries and is facing multiple counts of felony menacing. He is currently stable, according to Clark.

The second incident occurred on the night of Oct. 19 inside a Whole Foods store at 1701 Wewatta Street.

Officers responded to reports that a man was walking around with a knife inside the grocery. Upon arrival, they found the man with a 13-inch knife.

The responders attempted to talk him into dropping the weapon for nearly 12 minutes, according to the police. When the man began walking toward an officer, the latter fired at him. Another officer shot a taser, hitting the man and bringing him down.

The initial gunfire did not hit the suspect.

Thomas said that, though the district attorney will be the one to determine if the shootings are warranted, “I think that it’s appropriate for an officer that believes they are being threatened with a deadly weapon to respond with force.”

Officers demanded that a suspect drop an object — which looked like a handgun but turned you to be an airsoft gun — around East 46th Avenue and North York Street on Oct. 18. In the bodycam footage, officers can be heard saying,
Officers demanded that a suspect drop an object — which looked like a handgun but turned you to be an airsoft gun — around East 46th Avenue and North York Street on Oct. 18. In the bodycam footage, officers can be heard saying, “It’s not worth it,” and “How can we help you?” When the suspect raised the object to his head, officers fired at him. The man suffered multiple gunshot wounds, but is expected to live, according to police. (Courtesy: Denver Police Department)


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