Denver Police Officer Brandon Ramos pleads guilty in 2022 LoDo shooting
Denver Police Officer Brandon Ramos pleaded guilty on Tuesday to third-degree assault in connection with a July 2022 shooting in LoDo. Ramos was charged with shooting into a dense crowd of bystanders.
Ramos was sentenced to 18 months probation. He will also be stripped of his Colorado Peace Officer Standards and Training certification.
The shooting happened on July 17, 2022, at 20th Street and Larimer Street. A total of seven people were injured in the shooting.
According to investigators, Ramos and two other officers are seen on multiple bodycam and HALO camera videos shooting at Jordan Waddy after Waddy pulled a handgun from his waistband. From Ramos' position, a crowd of people is behind Waddy, according to a grand jury indictment.
According to the indictment, five of the injured victims appear to have been shot by Ramos. Three of those, Yekalo Weldewihet, Bailey Alexander, and Willis Small IV, were named by Denver-based civil rights law firm Rathod | Mohamedbhai LLC in a statement. Those three made statements in court on Tuesday as to how their lives had been impacted after being shot.
"I'm not even close to feeling 100%. I do a lot of weight training and that's still been hard to get back to. Mentally, still dealing with anxiety. Public places; seeing a police car on the street will throw me into a panic," said Weldewihet.
"I definitely been away from downtown bars for the most part. I work down here and I actually pass Denver Health on my way to work and that's always hard. It reminds me of my ambulance ride to the hospital," Alexander.
The two other officers who fired their guns that night were not charged, as the grand jury found their shootings to be legally justified.
Waddy pleaded guilty to possession of a weapon by a previous offender. All other charges were dismissed. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 30.
Ramos remains on unpaid administrative leave from the Denver Police Department as an internal review is underway.
The department released this statement, "Denver Police officers show up every day courageously navigating dynamic and often dangerous situations, to include making contact with armed individuals. Following this incident in lower downtown, the Denver Police Department has updated and enhanced officer training for such encounters to help ensure that our members can take the best and safest possible action in these split-second situations."
Denver District Attorney Beth McCann released this statement after the sentencing for Ramos, "This has been an incredibly difficult experience for the young people who were shot by Officer Ramos and I wish them the best in their recovery. But, given the fact that Officer Ramos clearly did not intend to shoot innocent bystanders, I believe a conviction for third-degree assault, for recklessly causing the victims' injuries, is the appropriate resolution in this case. Of course, none of this would have happened had Jordan Waddy not been carrying an illegal weapon and, for that reason, I am pleased that Mr. Waddy has pleaded guilty to a felony charge and will be held accountable for his role in the events of that night."
