Denver police officer whose gun magazine caught suspect's bullet cleared in shooting

A Denver police officer was cleared Wednesday in a shooting where one of his gun's magazines caught a round fired at him by the suspect.

Officer Andrew Niccum was also shot in the chest and was protected by his armor. Police say one of the rounds fired by the suspect hit one of Niccum's gun magazines, which likely stopped it from hitting his abdomen.

The shooting happened on June 7 near Forest Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

Niccum and other officers responded to a ShotSpotter alert in the area and got a description of a shooting suspect from a witness, Denver police said.

The suspect was fleeing on a scooter and then on foot when he fired at pursuing officers, according to the department. The suspect, later identified as 17-year-old Steve Calderon, fired two shots, both striking Niccum.

One of those rounds struck Niccum in the armor plate worn in his vest. The other struck the metal pistol magazine, causing it to shatter and the bullets inside the magazine to fall out.

"The magazine prevented the bullet from penetrating Officer Niccum's abdomen and causing serious injury," the department said in a statement Wednesday.

Niccum fired eight shots in return, two of which struck Calderon, the department said.

Calderon was arrested at the scene, taken to the hospital, has since recovered and is now facing multiple charges, including attempted murder, assault on a police officer, carrying a firearm as a minor and using a prohibited large-capacity magazine in the commission of a crime, among others.

"It is clear to me that Officer Niccum justifiably feared for his life and acted in self-defense after Mr. Calderon fired his weapon at Officer Niccum. For that reason, I find his shooting of Mr. Calderon to be justified," Denver District Attorney Beth McCann said.

CBS News Colorado requested more information, as well as photos of the destroyed gun magazine, but the District Attorney's Office said that was evidence in the case against Calderon and could not yet be released.

Calderon is being represented by the Public Defender's Office, is being held on a $150,000 bond and is due back in court on Jan. 4.