Man stopped by Denver police injured by gunfire aimed at officers in Capitol Hill, department says
A man who was detained by Denver police in the Capitol Hill neighborhood on Saturday night was shot by someone who was aiming at police officers, the department said in a Sunday update.
The shooting, which happened just before 9 p.m., prompted a shelter-in-place near East 13th Avenue and North Logan Street and a massive police response, including a SWAT team, armored truck, and helicopter, which circled the neighborhood for about three hours.
Denver police say investigators are now working to determine if the man accused of throwing the rock also shot at them. That man, who has not yet been identified, was taken into custody and arrested on unrelated outstanding warrants, the department said.
That man is also related to the man detained in the initial traffic stop, DPD said. The man who was detained was grazed in the leg by gunfire, and officers took cover, although they never returned fire, the department said. The injured man was taken to the hospital and then also arrested on an unrelated warrant.
Roads were closed for several blocks in every direction from the scene of the shooting and officers with rifles and shotguns were seen searching the area before the SWAT team arrived. Multiple residents in the area were told to stay in their buildings and motorists were directed around police cars blocking roads to allow them to get out of the area.
The shelter-in-place was lifted around midnight.
When asked by a commenter on social media if the shooting was related to the protests against ICE earlier in the day in Denver, the department replied, "There is no indication this incident is connected to the demonstration that occurred earlier today."
