DENVER — A man was shot and injured by Denver police after attempting to make contact with him on Monday afternoon.
The shooting happened in the parking lot of an apartment complex in the 800 block of S. Onieda St.
Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas, who was on the scene following the shooting, said officers first noticed the man because "loud music was emanating from inside the truck."
Chief Thomas said while officers were observing the man throwing items from inside the truck to a nearby dumpster, they noticed he had a handgun in his waistband.
“They began to engage that person and asked him to put his hands on his head and comply with some directions so they could safely contact him and recover that weapon," said DPD Chief Thomas. "They negotiated with him for several minutes, he refused all commands and would not do anything the officers asked him to do. “
Thomas said it was at this point at least two Denver police officers fired their weapons at the man.
“At some point it appears as though he made a threatening motion towards the weapon, causing officers to be placed in fear," said Thomas.
Officers were observing the man and decided to confront him after seeing the weapon, according to the police chief.
“It was not until they actually saw that this person that was going back and forth from the truck to the dumpster had a handgun in his waistband in the back," he said.
The man, who was not identified, was taken to a local hospital and was in surgery Monday afternoon, but was expected to survive. Police said the man did not fire at officers.
DPD launched its officer-involved shooting protocol which means the Colorado State Patrol and Colorado Bureau of Investigation will conduct a joint investigation on the officers' actions.
Police first said the person was shot by DPD officers while conducting a traffic stop, but later clarified it was during a "subject stop."
Video from AirTracker7 showed around a dozen police vehicles and crime tape surrounding an area of a nearby apartment complex. Crime scene investigators were also seen processing the truck in the parking lot next to the dumpster.
ALERT: #DPD is in the 800 block of Onieda investigating a shooting involving officers after attempting a traffic stop. The suspect was shot and transported to the hospital, condition unknown. This is an active investigation, updates will be posted to this thread when available. pic.twitter.com/nBmNiKfe1p
— Denver Police Dept. (@DenverPolice) November 27, 2023
