Police admit ‘something went wrong’ when six bystanders were shot by officers targeting gunman
Injuries ranged from serious limb wounds to minor grazes and burns
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The Denver Police acknowledged that "something went wrong" when its officers accidentally shot six bystanders in downtown Denver over the weekend.
Matt Clark, a lieutenant in the Denver Police Department, told the press during a briefing that the event was "concerning."
"It's certainly concerning and demands a review from the police department from a tactics standpoint, from a policy standpoint," he said. "Did something go wrong? Yes, six people that shouldn't have gotten injured that night got injured."
CBS 9News reports that in the early morning hours of 17 July, three Denver police officers in the LoDo neighborhood fired shots at Jordan Waddy, who they said was armed with a gun.
According to the police arrest records, officers claimed tensions were escalating outside the Larimer Beer Hall, noting that Mr Waddy was allegedly the "aggressor" and at some point moved in a way that made police believe he had a gun.
The police records say Mr Waddy lifted his hoodie and grabbed at his wasitband, which they took for him reaching for a gun. Police approached him and he began to walk away, but — upon seeing a more substantial police presence approaching him — prompted him to turn back and allegedly point a gun at two officers.
The officers fired at Mr Waddy. Mr Clark said one of the officers shot four rounds and another shot twice.
A third officer on scene saw Mr Waddy allegedly pointing the gun and fired a single shot at him.
Mr Waddy was hit several times and was taken to the hospital for treatment. He survived the wounds and was later charged with felony menacing and possession of a weapon by a previous offender.
Denver police confirmed that Mr Waddy never fired his weapon.
Six people were injured during the incident. Mr Clark said he was "not able to conclude specifically" what struck the victims, but noted that some had "through and through" injuries that would be consistent with a bullet.
The bystanders who were shot were less vague about what happened to them; one individual, Yekalo Weldehiwet, said he still had an officer's bullet stuck in his arm, and another, Bailey Alexander, said she was shot in her back, with the bullet exiting her arm.
Two women and one man suffered serious injuries to their arms and legs, while the other three victims — a woman and two men — had graze and burn injuries.
All of the victims survived the incident and have since been released from the hospital.
The officers involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave. The DPD said it would release body camera footage to the public once the Denver District Attorney's Office completes its investigation.