 Well, good afternoon everyone and thank you all for coming. Also, thank you for being flexible with your schedules understanding the significant weather event that we're anticipating later this week Chief police Ron Thomas here with major crimes division commander Matt Clark here to provide an additional follow-up briefing with some more details in relation to a critical incident that occurred a couple of Fridays ago March 1st in which Officers confronted an armed individual who appeared to be presenting Imminent deadly threat to an individual and unfortunately that individual was killed I want to take a moment to acknowledge the loss of life and certainly send condolences to the family that individual We will certainly open ourselves up for questions following the briefing, but at this time I'll turn it over to commander Clark Good afternoon. I'm Matt Clark the commander of the Denver Police Department's major crimes division Appreciate you being here and give us an opportunity to provide additional information Related to the officer involved shooting that occurred Friday, March 1st around 6 50 p.m. At 450 North Federal Boulevard. This is intended to be a follow-up briefing based upon information. We've gathered after interviewing witnesses Speaking with the involved officers and analyzing evidence that was collected at the scene There may be information just since we're early on in this Investigation that I may not be able to answer but to the degree we're able to do so. I'll address any questions After giving a narrative summary of the incident On Friday, March 1st, 2024 around 6 50 p.m. The Denver Communication Center received multiple 911 calls Regarding an incident occurring at the 7-11 convenience store at 450 North Federal Boulevard The multiple callers reported either a stabbing and or a robbery in progress occurring at the location Uniform Denver police officers arrived at the location within minutes and were informed by customers who were outside of the store That two employees were being held by a subject in the office area directly behind the sales counter Customers also advised the officers that the individual had a knife An officer entered the store. He moved around the sales counter When he got to the back side of the counter, he observed the subject briefly open the door to the office From the inside the officer gave specific direction to that individual to put his hands in the air He did not comply but instead close the door Additional officers arrived to assist they verbally identified themselves as Denver police officers They were uniformed officers and they attempted to communicate with the subject through the door The officers made certain the store was clear of any customers or anyone else Who could be in jeopardy as they worked to gain compliance from the subject They gave the subject specific direction to open the door and lay on the ground The officers from the outside of the office could hear commotion going on inside and what sounded like an escalating disturbance in the office The office door had a small Square window in the center of it and through that door an officer was able to see inside and believed he saw the offender subject Holding a knife to one of the employees Based upon the danger the officers believed that the employees were in they initiated efforts to force entry into the locked office To secure and ensure the safety of the employees The door to the office was metal and it was reinforced with a metal frame So attempts to kick the door were not successful Officers repeatedly struck the door with a metal ram and were able to slightly open it The officers discovered the subject had intentionally blocked the door from the inside using a desk and a computer With the door excuse me, so they the officers then pushed the door open to the point where they could see Partially inside the room and when they did that they observed the subject holding one of the two employees hostage that Subject was holding the employee with his left hand and holding a Sharp object to the victim's neck and and appear to be pushing that into his neck The officers also heard the subject making statements indicating he was going to stab the employee the officers feared the subject was stabbing Using the object to stab the clerk in the neck and believe he'd be seriously injured or killed in order to prevent this and prevent significant injury to the Employee victim for Denver police officers simultaneously discharged their firearms the subject striking him multiple times The subject dropped the object and fell backwards into a chair that was directly behind him Both of the employees then ran from the office and were escorted out of the store by officers an Ambulance was already unseen based upon the initial call Regarding a stabbing and was there to assess and assist The subject was evaluated by paramedics and was immediately transported to an area hospital where he was pronounced deceased Both victims were evaluated on scene by paramedics the employee who was held hostage by the subject Described having significant pain, but having a relatively minor visible injury to his neck He did not require transport to a hospital or for the medical treatment and the other employee was not injured The Denver office of the medical examiner identified the subject as 43-year-old Christopher couch and that's about CAU CH Investigators learned that at around 4 30 on March 1st. Mr. Couch car jacked a vehicle in Lakewood Agents from the Lakewood Police Department briefly chased that vehicle But quickly cancelled their pursuit due to the Reckless driving by Mr. Couch at approximately 6 48 p.m The subject drove the stolen vehicle westbound on Fifth Avenue in Denver at a highway to speed Before entering the 7-11 parking lot at Federal and Fifth Avenue Mr. Couch hastily parked his vehicle in front of the store with one of the Wheel specifically the front driver wheel up on the sidewalk and left the vehicle running Mr. Couch entered the store holding an object that several customers believed was a knife He immediately jumped over the counter into an area where the store employee was working Mr. Couch threatened the employee with the object in his hand and physically forced that individual into the back office Another employee was working in the office at that time and was also held in the back office The suspect closed the door at which point multiple people began calling 911 in total four separate 911 calls were received By the Denver Communications Center reporting this incident at the scene detectives recovered a Small hand tool that had a six-and-a-half inch metal shaft with a head similar to a device that is used to pull a nail This was the object that mr. Couch was pushing into the clerk's neck Investigators determined the four officers fired a combined total of 36 rounds. These rounds were all fired in just under five seconds Three officers discharged their duty handgun and one officer discharged the department approved rifle The officers who discharged their weapons were in uniform and are assigned to the patrol division within the department One officer holds the rank of a corporal who's been with the department since 2017 and that officer has not been in a prior police shooting incident two of the officers are Uniform patrol officers who have been with the department since 2019 one of those officers was involved in a police shooting incident in 2023 and the other officer started with the department in 2020 and has not been involved in a prior incident the body worn cameras the officers were wearing were activated Those cameras captured the interaction with the subject as well as the shooting incident that occurred The involved officers are in a modified duty status at this point as they complete the department's reintegration program as with all of our critical incidents The investigation of this incident is a combined effort with the Colorado Bureau of Investigations Colorado State Patrol the department's homicide unit in the Denver District Attorney's Office the investigations overseen by the office of the independent monitor I would ask that while we've conducted a number of in interviews and spoken to a number of people we've processed the scene If there's anybody who witnesses incident or has additional information that they contacted in the police department or crime stoppers at seven two zero nine one three stop Briefly show some slides the department has released Surveillance video that was captured in the office as well as Two of the body worn cameras that captured Video of the incident I'll just for context provide some screenshots from some of those cameras angles so you can We can address any questions or if you choose not to watch the video this will provide some context Mr. Couch arrives to store Approximately 648. This is a still shot of him Going into the store. There's other people inside the store other customers and the employees are inside at this point The vehicle that's at the far end the top of the screen is the vehicle that was carjacked in Lakewood About two and a half hours prior it is still running and it's parked up on the sidewalk area They're not in a space. Mr. Couch is entering and in his right hand He has an object that is later described by several witnesses being a knife Without any hesitation or delay. Mr. Couch jumps in with customers at the desk with a clerk behind the desk Serving those customers jumps on to the counter and over the counter As you can see multiple patrons inside the 7-Eleven store at that point in very short order He moves again moves him to the back once the officers are able to force the door This picture gives a sense of the confined space that existed within that office and some of the items that were present The computer desk had been moved from its original location Farther away and was positioned to block the door And this was just one of the obstacles that the officers had to navigate as they worked to enter the room There are a number of cords and other things that are a barrier for these officers that are coming in coming through the door is a police officer holding a Apartment-approved rifle and several officers with handguns from this position. They're able to have a clear view The victim employee Has is attempting to get away as they describe The offender is holding on to the the subject with one hand And his right hand is pushing that that hand tool into the individual's neck. There's separation The officers are in very close proximity and fired their rounds Over the course a very brief amount of time just under five seconds there The item that we recovered, it's not it's not it's similar to a screwdriver type size But it has a different head again. The best I can describe is it's potentially something that would be used to pull a nail About a six and a half inch device there There's any questions we can address them You said 36 shots. Yes, sir. We're all they follow the shots hit the subject Um, I'm not certain at all hit the subject There was some indication in the in the backdrop that that some of the rounds may have struck may have not have impacted him Um, or some of those rounds may have gone through him potentially and impacted those So I can't I don't have an assessment and I don't have the medical examiner's report yet to determine How many times he was struck, but I know it was a majority of them The way the deal played out It almost seems as if the subject was intending to get shot by police. Is that the belief here? You know, unfortunately, we'll never know the answers to that question. I think it's maybe reasonable to assume, but you know, honestly, we'll never know there were other people in the Store as we saw as he was jumping over the desk. Can you learn in what? Yeah, so all of those individuals that you see In the in that original photo They were on the outside of the desk Or the counter they all exited the store and those are the ones that informed the officer that the party was inside With an eye thread in the clerk The only Individual that was still left In the store were just those two victims the the one store clerk that was in immediate danger and then the other one that was kind of hiding behind Was there anybody else in the vehicle? No, no, he was by himself