The Denver Police officer who faced 14 criminal charges in connection with a July 2022 shooting in Lower Downtown, which injured six bystanders, took a plea deal on Tuesday.

Prosecutors dropped all 14 of the original charges in exchange for Brandon Ramos’ guilty plea to a third-degree assault charge.

“No one, including myself, thought he was intending to hurt someone,” said Assistant Denver District Attorney Zach McCabe.

McCabe stressed the six shooting victims faced life-changing injuries.

Terms of the deal call for Ramos, 30, to serve 18 months of supervised probation. The guilty plea also means he can never be a police officer in Colorado again, McCabe said.

It’s a career which Ramos’ attorney, Lara Marks Baker, said he had dreamed of since he was a boy.

His victims said they did not feel sorry for him.

“The police shot me and five other innocent bystanders. The police. How is that possible?” said Bailey Alexander during her victim impact statement.

The 25-year-old was shot through her back and out her arm on July 17, 2022.

“No one else pulled the trigger. It was Mr. Ramos who pulled the trigger,” Alexander said.

Ramos, dressed in a light gray suit, pleaded guilty to the single charge and held on tight to the podium, as Denver District Court Judge Nikea Bland asked him if he understood the terms of his decision.

He responded, “Yes Ma’am.”

Later on, he declined to make any statements in defense of his actions.

That’s not unusual for defendants who plead, or are found, guilty, considering he’s facing civil lawsuits and any apology could be seen as admitting culpability.

Bland accepted the plea.

Ramos had been due for a Feb. 20 trial on charges of two counts of reckless second-degree assault, three counts of third-degree knowing or reckless assault, three counts of third-degree assault with negligence using a deadly weapon, one count of prohibited use of a weapon, and five counts of reckless endangerment.

The shooting happened in the early-morning hours of July 17, 2022, when police officers responded to a fight as people left downtown bars for the night and some gathered around a food truck. According to the indictment, officers attempted to talk to Jordan Waddy after the confrontation outside the Larimer Beer Hall.

Waddy pulled out a gun, prompting three officers to fire. Although the police said in the immediate aftermath that he “posed a significant threat,” body-worn camera footage appeared to show Waddy throwing his gun away. Several shots hit Waddy and injured six other bystanders.

Several victims of the shooting were in the courtroom to watch the proceedings, as were at least four full rows of people in support of Ramos, including his family, friends and a few Denver police officers. His mother left the hearing in tears and said that she did not want to make a comment on her son’s decision to plead guilty.

Former state Sen. Polly Baca, who has known Ramos for years and publicly supported him since the shooting, said Tuesday the plea was a “miscarriage of justice.”

“He was just doing his job,” Baca said from the court house. “He’s a good man. He wants to get his life back.”

In a statement, Denver District Attorney Beth McCann called the case “incredibly difficult” and brought the initial responsibility back around to Waddy.

“Of course, none of this would have happened had Jordan Waddy not been carrying an illegal weapon and, for that reason, I am pleased that Mr. Waddy has pleaded guilty to a felony charge and will be held accountable for his role in the events of that night.”

Waddy, now 23, pleaded guilty earlier this month to a single count of conspiracy to commit possession of a weapon by a previous offender, which was an added count. Four other counts against him were dismissed as a result of the deal.

Waddy faces 15 to 36 months behind bars, which would run concurrent to any sentence he receives related to a separate pending case in Arapahoe County. He’s set for sentencing on Jan. 30 at 9 a.m.

The criminal case alleged Ramos did not have a clear line of fire behind Waddy and that he fired, despite knowing there was a large crowd of people there. Waddy did not turn to face him with the gun and Ramos was not in immediate danger, according to the investigation.

Denver Police officials said Tuesday there’s an ongoing internal investigation, and that Ramos remains on unpaid leave.

“Denver Police officers show up every day courageously navigating dynamic and often dangerous situations, to include making contact with armed individuals,” according to a statement. “Following this incident in lower downtown, the Denver Police Department has updated and enhanced officer training for such encounters to help ensure that our members can take the best and safest possible action in these split-second situations.”

A group of the bystanders injured have also filed a civil lawsuit against Ramos, alleging he recklessly fired down the sidewalk and claiming the two shots he fired were alone responsible for the injuries. Their attorney, Qusair Mohamedbhai, said that the civil lawsuit is in its early stages and that they will likely sue Ramos personally, as well as the Denver Police department.

A grand jury indicted Ramos in January 2023 on the charges.

Ramos has been free on a personal recognizance bond.

Ramos’ defense attorney Baker declined to comment on Friday.

The two officers who fired other than Ramos were not charged. The investigation found their decision to shoot at Waddy was legally justified, as there was a brick wall behind him.

Shooting victims who attended the hearing gathered outside of the courtroom when the hearing was over and talked with the press about the lasting effects of the shooting a year and a half after it happened.

Yekalo Weldehiwet, who was shot in the right arm, said that seeing police on the street “throws me into a panic.”

Willis Small, who was shot in the foot, described Ramos’ plea deal as “not the heaviest sentence, but this is one small step towards a safer society.”

Denver Gazette reporter Sage Kelley and our news partners 9News contributed to this report.