Denver Police Officers Shoot, Kill Suspect On New Year's Morning
DENVER (CBS4) - Officers from the Denver Police Department responded to a disturbance call early New Year's Day in the 900 block of Irving Street, where officers shot a suspect. That suspect, a man, was killed.
"I just saw a bunch of cop lights all over the place," said Esteban Escalante, a neighbor. "I didn't really know what was going on."
Officer Kurt Barnes told CBS4 the officers were called to a residence at 12:50 a.m. on Wednesday. "Shots fired" radio traffic from the officers was aired at about 1:15 a.m.
Barnes confirmed the man fired his weapon at officers. No officers were hurt.
It is not known who fired first but Denver Police said Wednesday afternoon that two officers were involved and the department has placed them on administrative leave, standard protocol for an officer-involved shooting. Investigators have not said how many rounds were fired by officers or the suspect.
"We haven't had really that many issues. It is been more robbing issues, but never really like guns," Escalante told CBS4.
DPD remained at the scene at daybreak. Barnes added that there were other people inside the residence who may have been involved in the initial disturbance but were not believed to have contributed to the shooting. Even with few details available and the investigation ongoing, neighbors said it was upsetting to learn about someone dying on New Year's Day.
"It's just sad," Escalante said. "It is just terrible."