Northglenn officer cleared after shooting man armed with pellet gun

In the bodycam footage of the Northglenn police officer, Floyd Whiting can be seen pointing what appears to be a long gun at the officer. The officer fired three shots at Whiting, injuring him. The officer's actions were deemed justified by investigators and the district attorney.
Courtesy of the 17th Judicial District Attorney's Office
A Northglenn police officer was cleared following the shooting and injuring of a man armed with a pellet gun.
The officer’s actions in this case were justified, 17th Judicial District Attorney Brian Mason said in a decision letter to the Northglenn Police Department on Wednesday. The letter detailed the findings of the investigation that began on Aug. 4, 2023.
Ofc. Jose Carrazco responded to a report of an unwanted person in a residence on Fowler Drive around midnight on Aug. 4. The reporting party said that his stepmother’s boyfriend — later identified as Floyd Whiting — was breaking things inside of the residence. Dispatchers also noticed that the stepmother had a restraining order filed against Whiting.
Whiting also had two active arrest warrants for domestic violence at the time of the shooting, according to the decision letter.
The caller noted that Whiting was intoxicated and may try to fight officers. The officers also already knew Whiting due to previous domestic violence calls at the residence. One incident involved Whiting allegedly barricading himself in the home with a handgun, the letter said.
The body-worn camera footage showed the officers approach the door, while Whiting was wrestling with the stepmother on a flight of stairs. As the officers entered, Whiting pointed to what appeared to be a long gun toward them.
Carrazco then fired two rounds at Whiting. Whiting dropped behind a wall and reappeared with the gun. Carrazco fired another round and hit the man’s arm.
Whiting then dropped the gun and complied with commands. He was arrested and transported to a nearby hospital, where he was treated for his injuries.
In an interview with investigators, J.C., the stepmother and Whiting’s former girlfriend, claimed that Whiting had pulled a handgun before the officers arrived. She was able to wrestle it away from him. When the officers arrived, Whiting appeared at the top of the stairs with a pellet gun, she noted.
The woman was injured by bullet fragments from the officer. She believed Whiting wanted the police to shoot him, according to the letter.
Officers recovered the long gun — determined to be an air pellet gun — and did not find the handgun the woman claimed to have wrestled away from Whiting.
The District Attorney’s Office found Carrazco’s response to be justified, and he will not face charges, the office said in the letter.
“Under the circumstances, Officer Carrazco’s statements and observations support a reasonable belief that Mr. Whiting was armed with a deadly weapon and presented a threat to J.C. and the officers,” Mason said.
Whiting is due in the Arapahoe County court on June 27 for an advisement hearing on charges related to the incident.




