DENVER — Police identified the man who they said pointed a gun at Denver police officers before three officers shot him early Sunday morning in downtown Denver. A public information officer also confirmed all of the other injuries were caused by officers firing their weapons.
Jordan Waddy, 21, was shot and transported to the hospital but is expected to survive, according to the Denver Police Department.
Additionally, police confirmed that five other people — three women and two men — suffered non-life-threatening injuries during the incident. No officers were injured.
“Investigators are working to determine whether the injuries [of the five people] were a direct or indirect result of the officer-involved shooting,” the department said in a statement.
The release went on to explain that an indirect injury could be from a ricochet bullet or shrapnel.
Around 1:30 a.m. Sunday, officers patrolling the bar district downtown near 20th and Larimer streets noticed an altercation between Waddy and two other people. An arrest affidavit released just after 8 p.m. on Sunday, goes on to say that officers reported seeing Waddy make gestures towards his waist band as if he were armed.
The officers began to follow Waddy, and at some point, officers reported the suspect pulled out a gun and pointed it at officers. The court document says officers fired and Waddy fell to the ground.
The suspect did not fire his weapon, police said in a news release shared earlier on Sunday. Waddy threw the firearm, which has been identified as a 10 mm Rock Island M1911 A2, according to court documents.
Waddy was transported to the hospital for treatment and later arrested. He is currently being held for investigation of felony menacing and possession of a weapon by a previous offender, according to police.
Waddy has had multiple run-ins with law enforcement, including a now dismissed 2017 charge of first-degree murder, according to court records.
“The investigation into this incident, to include interviews and forensic work, is active and ongoing. The Denver Police Department understands the community’s desire for additional information and the Department is committed to both maintaining the integrity of this investigation and sharing additional details as soon information has been confirmed through the investigation,” the DPD release said.
A witness, who did not want to be identified, shared what he saw, as well as a video that he took of the scene moments after it all happened. He said police showed up after a group of people were arguing in the street and then he heard gunshots.
"It was definitely a little traumatic to see that go down," the man said. "I heard maybe six or seven shots. I look to my left, and I saw a girl who was hit on the thigh and it hit an artery and she was gushing out blood."
The three officers involved in the shooting are currently on administrative leave, the department said, which is standard procedure.
The investigation into the officer-involved shooting is being conducted in “accordance with the officer-involved shooting protocol, and includes representatives from the Colorado Bureau of Investigations, Colorado State Patrol, Denver District Attorney’s Office, Denver Police Department, and includes oversight from the Office of the Independent Monitor.”
