Victims of a mass shooting are questioning why Denver police officers shot into a crowded downtown area at a man who was not firing his gun, injuring half a dozen innocent people.
Yekalo Weldehiwet, 26, said he lost mobility in his right arm after three officers opened seven rounds of gunfire on Jordan Waddy after 1 a.m. on July 17. Law enforcement officials said Waddy had a handgun and pointed the muzzle at patrol officers pursuing him on foot after he got into a fight outside the Larimer Beer Hall.
Weldehiwet had been celebrating his brother’s fiancée’s birthday at the Larimer Beer Hall when he heard gunshots, ducked and started running.
“Then we were trying to get into the parking lot, and the next thing you know, we heard the second bullet — the second gunshot. It landed right behind my bicep and fractured my bone,” he said.
Weldehiwet said he did not know it was a police shooting until days after it occurred. Doctors said Weldehiwet’s humerus bone was shattered, and he will need surgery to install a plate in his arm.
Five other bystanders and the suspect were also shot in the incident. Bailey Alexander, 24, said she was shot in soft tissue near her shoulder blade. She didn’t know that officers were the ones who fired the shots until she saw the news.
Police said they found a 10mm handgun they allege belongs to Waddy at the scene, but there is no evidence that he fired the gun he was holding. Officials said they recovered the weapon with one bullet in the chamber with the hammer cocked and seven shots in the magazine.
Guillermo Cortes told the Denver Post he was standing near Larimer Beer Hall along with dozens of other people. He saw two men get into a fight and at least two Denver police officers followed one of them.
Cortes said he saw the officers shoot the man and he fell to the ground, but he said he did not see the man holding a weapon or heard the officers give any warnings.
“I’m pretty sure we would’ve been shot had we been standing in the wrong spot,” Cortes said.
Weldehiwet said he asked officers who visited him in the hospital if they caught the person who shot him, not knowing the whole story.
“To find out the next day that it was actually the police, and the suspect had not fired anything at all, at that moment, I felt unsafe. For them to shoot in a mass crowd like that with uncertainty — it blew my mind. That kind of spiraled into asking a bunch of questions as to why they did that,” he said. “I am angry. I am frustrated. I am in pain. I am all of the above for sure.”
Denver Police Cmdr. Matthew Clark said officers followed Waddy after the fight that Waddy’s cousin said escalated from an incident inside the Larimer Beer Hall. One of the officers believed Waddy had a gun and relayed his suspicions to other officers.
Clark said they walked parallel to the man in the street to avoid walking through crowds. After walking into the street, Clark said Waddy ignored officers’ commands to get back on the sidewalk and pulled out the weapon from his sweatshirt pocket. Clark said that’s when two officers fired their weapons because they feared for their lives and didn’t have time to warn the crowd around Waddy.
The police commander said the third officer fired his gun to defend the other officers who appeared to be in trouble.
“This officer was aware there were individuals behind the subject and worked to obtain a clear sight picture of the subject before firing the single round,” said Clark, who showed still images of Waddy holding the gun during a July 20 press conference. “The officers quickly rendered aid to the injured subject and immediately recognized additional people who were south of the subject towards 20th Street who had been injured.”
They later found out that Waddy was on parole for a juvenile offense. The Colorado Department of Corrections said Waddy’s sentence was from a 2017 incident. He is being treated at a hospital for gunshot injuries in the lower part of his body and the lower part of his chest and abdomen area, according to Clark.
In addition to Alexander and Weldehiwet, one woman suffered a serious injury to her leg. Two other victims were grazed with bullets, and the sixth victim suffered a burn wound on the chest.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, a mass shooting is when at least four victims are shot, “either injured or killed, not including any shooter who may also have been killed or injured in the incident.”
“We’re deeply concerned for those that were injured during the incident and are working to provide all available resources and support to them as they heal,” Clark said. “Investigators and victim services personnel remain in contact with those needing assistance.”
Still, Clark said he could not “conclude specifically what struck each of the individuals that resulted in their injury.”
“Given the nature of the injuries and lack of ballistic evidence, it may be difficult for us to offer conclusive evidence at any time regarding the projectiles, which struck each victim,” Clark said.
Alexander and Weldehiwet hired legal counsel after learning of the Denver Police Department’s involvement. Attorney Siddhartha Rathod said his firm filed a complaint of officer misconduct with the department, which requires body camera footage to be released within 21 to 45 days, under Colorado law.
Clark said body camera footage shows the officers’ interactions with Waddy after the fight and through the shooting. Two of the officers involved activated their cameras immediately after the shooting. The cameras automatically captured footage seconds prior to activation, including the shooting. At least one officer had full activation of their camera, Clark said. The department will not release the footage until the district attorney’s office completes its investigation.
Crist Whitney, one of Alexander and Weldehiwet’s attorneys, said she hopes the police agency is transparent.
“The officers shot into a crowd, and you know, that’s not only dangerous, that’s absurdly reckless,” Whitney said.
