DENVER – The man shot and killed by police in southwest Denver Tuesday night was previously charged with attempted murder, but the case was dismissed when witnesses stopped cooperating.
The Denver medical examiner on Wednesday identified the man as Alex Duran, 29.
The Denver Police Department had been scheduled to give an update in the case Wednesday afternoon, but the news conference was postponed. A police spokesman said officers had more interviews to conduct in the case.
DPD officers responded to a burglary-in-progress call just before 6 p.m. Tuesday in the 1800 block of S. Alcott.
According to Denver Police Department spokesman Jay Casillas, the officers went inside the home, where they encountered Duran. He allegedly pulled a knife on the officers, Casillas said, and at least one officer shot Duran.
He died after being transported to a nearby hospital, Casillas said.
Casillas said that officers believe there were "a series of crimes" that led up to the shooting, and there were multiple scenes in the area taped off Tuesday evening. Casillas said Tuesday night the department was "still trying to figure out what's going on."
Casillas said he didn't know how many officers fired shots in the incident, but said no other people or officers were injured aside from the suspect.
Duran has a lengthy criminal history in Colorado, according to state court records.
In his most-recent criminal case, Duran was charged in August 2016 with four felonies – including attempted first-degree murder – and two sentence enhancers for using a weapon in a violent crime. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.
However, all the charges were dismissed without prejudice in March 2017 after witnesses in the case refused to cooperate, according to Denver District Attorney’s Office spokesman Ken Lane.
Duran also has separate convictions on assault and theft charges out of Walsenburg over the past 10 years.
Casillas said Wednesday that the media briefing regarding the case would be “rescheduled for a later time.” A prior mug shot for Duran was not immediately available.