DENVER — The man who authorities were targeting before a 2022 police shooting in Denver’s Lower Downtown (LoDO) district in which several people were injured was sentenced to 30 months in prison and one year of mandatory parole.
Jordan Waddy on January 12 pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit possession of a weapon by a previous offender, a Class 6 felony, the Denver District Attorney’s Office said.Waddy’s sentencing stems from an early morning police shooting as bars were letting out in LoDo on July 17, 2022.
At around 1:30 a.m., Denver police were trying to apprehend Waddy after he was allegedly involved in an altercation outside of Larimer Beer Hall.
During the initial arrest attempt, Waddy pulled a handgun from his hoodie and threw it on the ground then raised both hands into the air as DPD began firing towards him, according to body-worn camera video. Waddy was in the crowd during the shooting when six people received non-life threatening injuries when officers fired their weapons.
Waddy was shot several times and remained in the ICU before being released from the hospital and has served 572 days in custody.
His defense asked the court to sentence Waddy, who has previous convictions as a juvenile, to 90 days unsupervised probation and 90 days in jail.
Waddy was not supposed to be in possession of a firearm due to his previous criminal history according to Judge Nikea Bland.
“I thought hard about this for most of this week and this month,” said Judge Bland during sentencing on Thursday. “I’ve watched how you conducted yourself in court the last two years and I hope you make changes you need to find yourself in a better position.”She added “I hope your future will be easier for you.”
Denver Metro Crime News
Before his sentence was handed out, Waddy addressed the court. “I take full accountability,” said Waddy.
In January of 2023, the Denver District Attorney launched a grand jury investigation which eventually led to the indictment of one of three Denver police officers involved in the incident.
Officer Brandon Francisco Ramos pleaded not guilty in September 2023 to two counts of second-degree assault - reckless, a felony, three counts of misdemeanor third-degree assault - negligence with a deadly weapon and one count of prohibited use of a weapon, among other charges.
On January 23, 2024, Ramos took a plea deal and was sentenced to 18 months probation. Ramos pleaded guilty to third-degree assault and the other charges were dropped.
Ramos joined DPD in 2019 and was suspended without pay due to the felony charges.
