Denver’s district attorney has cleared a police officer who shot a juvenile robbery suspect who fled on an RTD bus and than ran from a bus stop before aiming a gun at the officer.
DA Beth McCann concluded that when officer Ivan Salazar-Reyes shot a juvenile identified only as J.V. on Jan. 26 near 12015 E. 46th Avenue, he was legally justified.
The name of the suspect has not been identified because he is a juvenile. A letter from McCann to Police Chief Robert White referred to the suspect by the initials J.V. The suspect was charged in Denver Juvenile Court with robbery, first-degree assault on a police officer, and possession of a handgun by a juvenile. The case is ongoing, according to a news release by Ken Lane, McCann’s spokesman.
At about 9 p.m. on Jan. 26, J.V. allegedly showed the victim — identified as D.E. — a handgun that was tucked in his waistband and demanded money. J.V. and an accomplice identified as D.P. then escaped on an RTD bus at Maxwell Street.
Numerous Denver police officers from the District 5 station ran about a block to the bus at the Park-and-Ride near 46th Avenue and Peoria Street.
When the suspects got off the bus and took off running, several officers including Salazar-Reyes ran after them. While J.V. ran toward a strip mall at 4611 Peoria St., he had his hand in the right front pocket of his hoodie.
Salazar-Reyes repeatedly yelled at J.V. to stop and “show his hands.” J.V. refused to obey. He ran directly into a police squad car and fell down, McCan’s letter says.
“I can see (J.V.) get back up and I can see the gun in his hand, so I ordered him to put the gun down, which he doesn’t do,” Salazar-Reyes told investigators, according to the letter.
Salazar-Reyes said he fired about four shots at J.V. when he moved the gun toward the officers. One of the bullets struck J.V.’s left hand. J.V. did not fire the gun, which was loaded with five rounds. He took off running again. While he was running, he dropped his silver Smith & Wesson, .38-caliber revolver on the ground, the letter says.
Later, after police arrested J.V., he told police that someone on the bus gave him the gun because he has a warrant and he was trying to toss the gun when he was shot, the letter says.
Source : Denver Post
