Denver police announced during a briefing Thursday that a man raised a “replica firearm” before he was fatally shot by officers last month.
Chief Ron Thomas said shortly after the March 20 shooting in an alley near 35th Avenue and Humboldt Street in Denver’s Cole neighborhood that the man, who was homeless, was armed with a handgun.
He has since been identified as Jose Medina, 57, by the Denver Office of the Medical Examiner.
An image of the item — which Major Crimes Bureau Commander Matt Clark said bore Smith & Wesson markings and was damaged by one of the 16 bullets fired by four officers — was shown on a television screen during the briefing.
Police also released body-worn-camera video of the shooting Thursday that shows officers confronting Medina, who had reportedly been camping behind Annunciation Catholic School.
In the videos, officers repeatedly tell Medina to drop the weapon, which they identify as a firearm. When Medina instead lifts his right arm, which held the replica gun, officers open fire, striking Medina multiple times.
Officers then move in and handcuff Medina, as one officer presses his handgun into the back of Medina’s head, which Thomas told reporters was “not protocol” but was intended as a “de-escalation technique.”
Clark said officers provided emergency medical care to Medina, applying a chest seal and tourniquet, before he was taken to a hospital, where he died later that day.
Thomas said officers had made contact with Medina periodically since 2005, and he was believed to have been homeless on and off since then.
“No officer wants to take a life,” Thomas said. “They only responded with, ultimately, deadly force because he moved that weapon in their direction and put them in fear of their life.”
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