Denver DA Rules Shooting Of Suspect By Aurora Officer Justified
DENVER (CBS4) - Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey has found that an officer-involved shooting by an Aurora police officer that left a suspect wounded was justified.
"I believe a jury would find from the evidence that Lt. Stephen Redfearn was justified under Colorado law in firing his weapon," Morrissey said in a letter to Aurora Police Chief Nick Metz.
The shooting occurred May 9 in the 8400 block of East Colfax Avenue just before 2 p.m. The man who the officer shot was a suspect in another shooting that occurred earlier in the day.
Suspect Sidney Sylvester, 27, was taken to the hospital with a gunshot wound after being shot by Redfearn after a short foot chase. Another suspect was taken into custody.
No officers were injured in the incident.
"Two felony criminal charges have been filed against Sylvester for his actions with the handgun he wielded during this incident. He has been charged with felony menacing as well as felony possession of a weapon by a previous offender because he has prior felony convictions which disqualify him from lawfully possessing a handgun," Morrissey said in the letter to Metz.