DENVER (KDVR) — Denver Mayor Michael Hancock gave a public statement Wednesday, days after police opened fire into a downtown crowd over the weekend and wounded six bystanders.
Hancock’s office released this statement from the mayor:
“I understand there are still a lot of questions and that people are looking for more information regarding a series of incidents over the past week. Any time our officers deploy their weapons in the line of duty, there are comprehensive investigations that must follow long-established legal procedures. I am asking our residents for patience as this process takes place and as we work to provide answers. I am receiving regular briefings from the Department of Safety and can assure you this process is well underway.”
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock
Earlier Wednesday, a police spokesperson gave the department’s narrative of the shooting. Police responded to a reported fight just after 1:30 a.m. Sunday as the bars were letting out near Larimer and 20th streets. After previously saying the 21-year-old suspect in the case pointed a handgun at them, they presented images that appear to show him holding a gun.
Police said officers fired seven shots total: one fired four, another fired two and a third fired one. The suspect, identified as Jordan Waddy, was shot and wounded. Another six bystanders were hurt.
FOX31 spoke with two of the victims, who shared their accounts of what happened and photos of their wounds. The two said police officers interviewed them in the hospital, but they only found out that officers had fired the shots from news reports.
The attorneys representing the two, who are with the firm Rathod Mohamedbhai LLC, have filed an official misconduct complaint. A fairly new state law means the body camera video in the shooting must be released within 21-45 days from when the complaint was filed.
The downtown shooting was one of three in the last week in which Denver Police opened fire. In the others, a total of two suspects were killed.