Police Officers Injure Five After Shooting Incident Where Man Allegedly Pointed Gun At Them

Five people were injured on Sunday in the Lower Downtown district of Denver, Colorado after police officers opened fire on civilians and bystanders after one of them pointed a gun towards them while they confronted him.

The Denver Police Department said that officers were in the Lower Downtown area early Sunday as bars in the area were starting to close. Near 20th and Larimer streets, officers claim that they saw 21-year-old Jordan Waddy fighting with an individual. They opened fire when they claimed that Waddy pointed a gun at them, according to the Denver Post.

Bystanders claim that they saw the police officers shoot down the man, and at least five gunshots were heard by people nearby. The local police department claims that they did not know that five bystanders around them–three women and two men–were hit by the bullets discharged by the police, the Colorado Sun reported.

“Officers discharged their weapons. The party went down. Officers immediately began to render aid,” Division Chief Ron Thomas said. “At this time they also became aware of other individuals within the crowd who had also been injured as a result of this incident.”

The five people were injured non-fatally and brought to a nearby hospital, while Waddy himself was reportedly shot and given non-fatal injuries by the police officers. Officers appear to be investigating the alleged gunman for felony menacing and possession of a weapon by a previous offender, KDVR reported.

“I’m pretty sure we would’ve been shot had we been standing in the wrong spot,” Guillermo Cortes, who was in the area picking up a friend, said.

Police officers claim that Waddy had pointed a gun at authorities that night before police officers discharged their weapon, though he did not appear to have fired the weapon before the officers shot at him. As people search for answers regarding the shootings, the local police have asked for patience regarding the investigation.

“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 as information has been confirmed through the investigation,” they said.

This is the third shooting of the week by the Denver Police, with two individuals killed in separate incidents where police opened fire against people who were either being pursued by the police or were reported to be actively doing a crime.