The Denver Police Department on Monday released body-worn camera videos of two recent shootings involving the agency’s officers — including one in which police killed a robbery suspect at a gas station last month — but the footage didn’t shed new information on what happened during the incidents.
The shooting at the Maverik convenience store, in the 3200 block of South Parker Road, occurred after the suspect locked himself inside with two employees.
The police department previously said two of the gas station’s employees were shot. One of the six Denver officers to respond to the robbery was also shot in his leg, which required surgery.
The second shooting took place on Nov. 2 near the 5100 block of North Biscay Court. Police said at least three people were shot at a house party. The video footage showed police chasing the suspect through a neighborhood and coming across the victims; one person was shot in the butt.
On Oct. 27, police responded to the Maverik convenience store at about 8:45 p.m. The video footage released Monday showed that officers heard a gunshot from within the gas station before they forced their way in by breaking one of the glass doors and climbing through.
Inside, the robbery suspect and the employees were on opposite sides of the store in different corners, the video showed. Officers told the suspect to drop his gun as they approached and immediately afterward shots could be heard, but it wasn’t clear if they were fired by the suspect or police.
Multiple police officers then fired on the suspect, who was in a corner behind shelves and by the refrigerated section. Bullets hit boxes of soda cans, which spewed onto the floor near where the suspect lay, according to the footage.
Officers approached the suspect, who was bloodied, and handcuffed him, the video showed. Police said the suspect was taken to the hospital, where he later died.
The two gas station employees were huddled in a corner, by the refrigerated section, and opposite the suspect when the gunfire broke out. One of the employees was shot in their leg or foot, according to the footage, which showed an officer applying a tourniquet.
It’s unclear from the footage whether the employees were shot by officers or the suspect. The videos didn’t show the second employee’s injuries. Police previously said the employees had injuries that were not life-threatening.
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