DENVER — Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas called the shooting of an armed man by one of his officers during a fireworks investigation on July 1 an “appropriate” response as the department released body-worn camera footage of the incident on Wednesday.
Officers went to a home on Del Rio Court in Denver’s Montbello neighborhood after seeing a firework blast above homes in the area during a regular patrol. When officers arrived, they saw a man in the driveway grab a gun from his waistband, DPD Commander Matt Clark said during a media briefing Wednesday.
The officer then shot the man twice in the leg as the suspect apparently tossed his gun to the side.
Only about 15 seconds transpired between when officers parked their car at the home and when shots were fired.
- Watch the bodycam video in its entirety in the video player below. Warning: This video shows a police officer shooting a suspect and may be difficult to watch. Denver7 has edited the video provided by police only to censor vulgar language.
Police say bodycam video shows the officer fire his weapon as the suspect turns back toward him while pulling out a gun. A still frame from a security camera on the house provides a clearer view of the suspect reaching for his waistband seconds before the shooting, police said.
In the seconds after the shooting, the officer can be heard yelling, “he just threw the gun.” A loaded 10-millimeter semiautomatic handgun was then recovered from the gravel area a few feet away from the driveway.
Thomas said during Wednesday’s news conference that the officer’s actions were “appropriate” and “reasonable.”
“[The suspect] was accessing that weapon. He did have a weapon. The officer recognized that he had a weapon,” Thomas said. “And I think it's just fractions of a second that it would take someone to move from a place where they have a weapon in their hand to where that weapon is being pointed at the officer and shots being fired.”
“So I think that this is a reasonable response from officers.”
Thomas would later say that Denver police have had hundreds of calls involving armed suspects this year, but only six incidents that ended with an officer firing shots.
“That's because, generally, we gain compliance,” he said. “Those individuals raise their hands. They follow officers’ commands, they don't access the weapon and place those officers in danger.”
The officer has been with Denver police since 2019 and has not been involved in a police shooting before, Clark said. The officer is on paid administrative leave.
The suspect is expected to recover from his injuries. He has not been charged and was not identified during Wednesday’s news conference.
- Watch Wednesday's news conference in its entirety in the video player below: