Denver District Attorney John Walsh determined a Denver Police Department officer’s actions justified when he shot and injured a teenage suspect earlier this year.

Ofc. Felipe Cervantes shot 17-year-old Emanuel Salas in his right leg near Paco Sanchez Park around 10:30 p.m. on Feb. 24 — an act of force deemed justified by Walsh, according to a Monday letter from Walsh to the Denver Police Department.

The incident began weeks earlier on Feb. 4, with the department investigating a drive-by shooting in which someone fired eight rounds into a house. Through investigations, Salas was identified as a suspect in the shooting.

Cervantes worked on the investigation and had previously interviewed Salas in an unrelated incident, according to the letter.

The department drafted an arrest warrant to detain Salas on suspicion of attempted murder, along with other charges, but the warrant had not been officially approved by the Denver District Attorney’s Office.

Cervantes began viewing Salas social media with the understanding that an arrest warrant was coming, and on the night of Feb. 25, he saw Salas allegedly livestream himself and his friends with “several” handguns, the letter said.

The officer was able to pinpoint the group around two blocks from Paco Sanchez Park and headed that way with other officers. As they were approaching, they heard multiple gunshots in the distance. A person reported to 911 that five teenagers had fled the scene of the gunfire on Lime scooters.

Officers later identified four suspects on Lime scooters heading toward the park. The suspect allegedly did not stop when the officers turned on their sirens.

Cervantes eventually ended up running into the park after Salas, who appeared to have a handgun in his right hand in security camera footage, according to the letter.

Salas did not listen to Cervantes’ demands to drop the weapon, and began running away with the handgun pointed at the officer, according to the district attorney’s office.

Cervantes fired 10 shots at Salas, striking him in the leg.

In a later interview, Cervantes told the district attorneys office that he feared for his life, and was shooting at Salas to get him to drop his gun.

Salas was arrested and a Glock 9mm Luger semi-automatic pistol was found near him. The handgun was loaded with a round in the chamber, according to the letter.

The district attorney’s Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) investigated the shooting, with Walsh deeming the officer justified two months later.

“After a thorough review of the evidence in the case, I believe that the use of force by Officer Cervantes was justified based on Colorado law regarding use of force in self defense and in defense of others. Therefore, no criminal charges will be filed against Officer Cervantes,” Walsh concluded in the letter.