Police say handcuffed suspect who shot Denver officer is 33-year-old Daniel Cheeseman
Police say 33-year-old Daniel Cheeseman is the person who shot and wounded a Denver police officer Monday night at the Denver Downtown Detention Center just before he was to be booked in jail for suspected car theft.
The officer was shot in the neck, but police tell CBS News Colorado he was released from the hospital Tuesday morning and is "continuing to recover at home."
Police returned fire on Cheeseman, and a spokesperson for the Denver Police Department says he remains in the hospital in critical condition.
During a press conference, Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas said that at about 9 p.m. police spotted a vehicle near South Perry Street and West Arkansas Avenue in southwest Denver that was believed to be stolen. The driver in the car drove away from police but was stopped and taken into custody near South Iowa Boulevard and West Lowell Avenue.
Officers confirmed the car was stolen, and police also found a handgun as well as a large amount of illegal drugs on the suspect when they initially searched him.
Police took the suspect to the jail and arrived at about 11 p.m. Chief Thomas confirmed it was when officers were removing the handcuffed suspect from the police cruiser that he was somehow able to get his hands on another gun and fired at least one shot that hit one of the arresting officers in the neck.
"There were other officers that were in the sally port area of the Downtown Detention Center at the time," Thomas said during the press conference. "At least one of those officers returned fire, striking the suspect multiple times."
The injured officer and suspect were then both taken to the hospital. The police chief said overnight that his officer was in good spirits with his wife and mother by his side, and is expected to be okay with non-life-threating injuries.
When asked, Thomas said it is too early to make an official confirmation, but it's believed the suspect had the gun he used to shoot the officer concealed on him while he was being taken to jail.
Tuesday afternoon, police would not say where they believed Cheeseman was hiding the gun, or why police did not find the gun on Cheeseman in their initial search.
"These aspects of the incident are still under investigation," a spokesperson for DPD said in an email to CBS News Colorado.
Thomas confirmed the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, Colorado State Patrol, and Denver police detectives would all work together to investigate this officer-involved shooting under the oversight of Denver's Office of the Independent Monitor before submitting those investigation results to the DA.
There was also no other immediate information about the stolen vehicle the suspect was found driving.
"I think this is a very good reminder that our officers are out there every day doing very dangerous police work protecting the citizens of Denver," Thomas said.
Denver Police say another situation similar happened back in 2014, at Denver Police Station District 4. Read about that incident by clicking here.
