DENVER, Colorado – A suspect was shot and injured by Denver police officers early Sunday morning after a separate shooting incident on the 16th Street Mall in downtown Denver, leaving two people in the hospital.
According to Denver Police, officers responded to a report of a shooting around 2:00 a.m. at the intersection of 16th and California. The initial shooting took place inside an apartment complex in the area.
Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas provided details on the sequence of events, stating that officers initially responding to the call attempted to detain the suspect.
“Officers pursued that individual into the vestibule of an apartment complex, a mid-block on 16th Street,” Chief Thomas said. “They confronted that individual and challenged him. They identified he had a gun. He did not drop the gun, putting the officers in a position where they felt that they were endangered.”
At that moment, two officers shot the suspect. The suspect was taken to a hospital. The victim from the initial shooting was also hospitalized. Denver Police confirmed that both the suspect and the victim are in what they call stable condition.
Video sent in from a viewer showed a man on a stretcher in the lobby of the apartment complex where the suspect allegedly entered.
The entire incident unfolded on Denver’s recently renovated 16th Street, an area that has seen boosted police presence, private security, and park ranger patrols as part of a revitalization plan. Safety in the area has been emphasized as key to success, though incidents like this can cast a shadow on that feeling of security.
The investigation remains ongoing.