Grand jury will investigate LoDo officer-involved shooting
Denver District Attorney Beth McCann will open a grand jury investigation into last month's shooting in LoDo that involved three Denver Police Department officers. Jordan Waddy was injured in the shooting, along with six bystanders.
Waddy has been charged with three counts of possession of a weapon by a previous offender and one count of third-degree assault. Denver police have stated that Waddy, 21, pointed a gun at officers early Sunday morning after the bars closed and people poured out into the street.
The grand jury will open an investigation and review the incident.
"The public's interest in this particular shooting incident is understandably high," said McCann in a statement. "For the community to trust in the outcome from this incident, it is important that independent members of the community review the facts, evidence and law regarding whether these officers should be criminally charged. Until the grand jury's work is complete, my office will have no further comment on this matter."
The shooting began when police said that Waddy was in an altercation with other individuals at 20th and Larimer Street around 1:30 a.m. July 17. Officers approached Waddy whom they suspected of having a gun in his front pocket.
Division Chief Thomas says the armed suspect "posed a significant threat" so officers fired their weapons.
Several officers fired at Waddy, injuring him. Police also stated that five other people, three women and two men, were injured as a result of officers' gunfire. Officers recovered a loaded firearm from the scene and said in a previous statement that he apparently did not fire his weapon.
In a media release after the shooting, Denver police pointed out that any number of the injuries could be the "indirect" result of the shooting, such as ricochets or shrapnel.
The attorneys for three of those involved in the shooting released this statement that reads, in part, "These videos are yet another sickening example of Denver Police Officers exercising excessive, lethal force without justification or concern for the safety of innocent bystanders. It is a miracle that more bystanders were not injured and that nobody was killed. Denver District Attorney Beth McCann announced that she will empanel a grand jury to investigate the officers' misconduct. Although we commend District Attorney McCann for treating this matter with the seriousness it deserves, a grand jury investigation alone cannot bring justice to the victims in this matter. DA McCann must ensure this case does not follow the pattern of grand jury investigations being used to exonerate and legitimize officer misconduct. Denver's officers must be indicted and tried for their extremely reckless acts of violence."
On the same day the grand jury investigation was announced, the Denver Police Department released body cam video worn by several officers, along with HALO camera video that showed the events leading up to and the shooting.
