Denver police officer shot near city jazz event

DENVER — A Denver police officer was shot at a city park where hundreds of families had gathered Sunday evening for a free weekly jazz concert, a police spokeswoman said.

The officer's condition and name were not immediately available, said police spokeswoman Raquel Lopez, who confirmed the shooting with The Associated Press.

The gunfire erupted shortly after the band finished playing at City Park, sending crowds of people running. About a thousand people were at the City Park Jazz concert, the fourth of 10 shows scheduled for this summer in the annual series.

The shooting happened in proximity to a pond in the park, and after shots rang out, an announcer on a loudspeaker told remaining attendees that the event, where people often linger once the band finishes, had ended and asked park goers to leave.

Nakira Doss, 28, heard at least two shots. She said covered her three children, ages 7, 5 and 4, as other concertgoers ran past.

"I told my kids to get on the ground, and I laid on top of them," she said.