Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas and DPD Major Crimes Division Commander Matt Clark on July 16, 2025.
Greta Kerkhoff/Denver Gazette
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Gun recovered at the 4300 block of Del Rio court.
Courtesy, Denver Police Department
The Denver Police Department released more information about the man shot and injured by an officer earlier this month outside of a Montbello neighborhood residence.
At a press conference Wednesday, DPD Major Crimes Division Commander Matt Clark gave a rundown of the July 1 shooting.
According to Clark, at 9:05 p.m. two DPD officers assigned to District Five were conducting routine patrol in the area of East 44th Avenue and Andrews Drive.
Officers said they observed a large firework overhead from inside their vehicle and saw additional fireworks going off as they checked the area.
While driving north on the 4300 block of Del Rio Court officers saw a mortar positioned in the roadway in front of a home and observed four individuals standing nearby the curb.
The officers stopped their patrol vehicle and activated the emergency overhead lights as they exited the car to approach the group.
Officers made their way towards one man, who then began walking towards an open garage. One officer yelled at him to stop and return.
The man disregarded the command, Clark said, and continued to walk away. As the officer followed he observed the man move his hands towards his waistband and lift his shoulders to look back over his right shoulder towards the officer.
These were actions that the officer interpreted as an attempt to access a firearm, Clark said.
The officer then saw the man draw a firearm from his waistband and appeared to be actively arming himself while looking over his shoulder at the officer.
Fearing that the man was preparing to shoot, the officer ordered the man to drop the gun and raise his hands.
When the man failed to comply, the officer — who was standing approximately 10 to 15 feet away — fired two rounds and shot the man in the leg.
According to Clark, approximately 15 seconds elapsed between the officers exiting their vehicle and the shooting, a rapid progression.
After he was struck the man fell to the ground and was taken into custody without any further incident. Officers rendered medical aid until paramedics transported the man to the hospital. He is expected to recover from his injuries, but Clark said it is unclear whether he is currently hospitalized.
Investigators and crime lab personnel recovered the firearm pulled from the man’s waistband at the scene. The black loaded, 10-millimeter semi-automatic handgun was discovered in an area next to the driveway. Investigators said there is no evidence that the man fired the weapon.
Investigators have also determined that the officer discharged a total of two rounds from his duty handgun during the incident.
The final decision on any potential charges against the man will be made by the Denver District Attorney’s Office in the coming days, Clark said.
Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas characterized the officer’s response as “appropriate.”
“As you can see, his movements were obvious. He was accessing that weapon,” he said.
The officer involved in the incident — whom police refused to identify — has not been involved in any prior police shootings and has been placed in a non-line-of-duty capacity as he completes DPD’s reintegration program.
The investigation remains active and ongoing and is being coordinated by the Colorado Bureau of Investigations, Colorado State Patrol, DPD’s homicide investigative unit and the Denver District Attorney’s Office.
Anyone with information regarding the shooting is encouraged to contact DPD or submit through Metro Denver Crime Stoppers.
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