 Hello, my name is Matt Clark and I'm the commander of the Denver Police Department's Major Crimes Division. This critical incident debriefing is intended to provide you with information regarding an officer-involved shooting that occurred near 20th Street and Larimer Street in lower downtown on Sunday, July 17th, 2022 at approximately 1.35 a.m. You are about to see video footage of the incident and learn about other evidence and police procedures related to the case. At this time, this incident is still under investigation, including a criminal investigation into the conduct of the involved officers. This debriefing is not intended to comment upon or form opinions about the conduct of the involved officers. It is intended to provide transparency regarding the incident based upon the information we have obtained to date. The use of deadly force by a police officer demands a thorough investigation be completed. The Denver Police Department is committed to ensuring a full and timely investigation of these serious incidents. This allows the department and outside entities the ability to complete a comprehensive examination of the officer's actions to determine compliance with state statutes and department policies. The investigation of police shootings that occur in Denver are conducted by a multi-agency investigative team made up of members of the Colorado Bureau of Investigations, the Colorado State Patrol, the Denver Police Department Homicide Unit, and the Denver District Attorney's Office. All critical incident investigations are actively monitored by the Office of the Independent Monitor. Throughout this briefing, portions of body camera video and surveillance video obtained during the investigation will be shown to provide context and detail. All officers assigned to uniform patrol duties in Denver have been issued body-worn cameras. These devices are worn at chest level by patrol officers and are capable of recording both audio and video. Prior to being activated by the officer, the body-worn camera maintains a 30-second video buffer. Once the officer activates the camera, the 30-second buffer video is captured and the camera starts recording both audio and video. It is important to note that a body-worn camera captures a general perspective of what is in the camera's view. However, this footage may or may not be what the officers saw or perceived. At times, an officer's movement or hand positioning may inadvertently block the camera's view. Additionally, the camera may not capture light in the same way as an officer's eye. A word of caution, the images and information you're about to see may be disturbing. When a police officer uses force to arrest a suspect or defend against an attack, it can be graphic and difficult to watch. In addition, there may be strong language used by those shown in the video, if your discretion is advised. On Sunday, July 17, 2022, at approximately 1.35 am, uniformed Denver police officers from District 6 were conducting direct-to-patrol in the lower downtown area to monitor the bar out crowd. The officers on these assignments assist with closing streets and providing high-visibility presence in the area in an effort to prevent disturbances and physical fights. The officers also assist with vehicle and pedestrian flow and respond to serious incidents occurring in the area. On Sunday morning, officers who were near 20th Street and Larimer Street monitoring the out crowd observed a physical altercation between multiple individuals outside of the Larimer Beer Hall located in the 2,000 block of Larimer Street. One of the subjects, who was later identified as 21-year-old Jordan Waddy and an associate of Mr. Waddy's, were observed shoving and punching another person. An officer who witnessed the assault observed Mr. Waddy may have had a firearm concealed in his hoodie or waistband. This information was communicated to the other officers in the area. Officers flashed their flashlights and verbally identified themselves as police officers as they approached. The video shows Mr. Waddy briefly walking in the area before turning and walking north on Larimer Street away from the officers. As Mr. Waddy walked towards 21st Street, he walked through a crowd of people who were gathered in front of a food truck vendor. The video shows officers did not follow Mr. Waddy through the crowd, but instead went onto Larimer Street and paralleled Mr. Waddy from there. Mr. Waddy emerged on Larimer Street from between two parked vehicles and was contacted by officers. At this point, video shows Mr. Waddy was away from the crowd of people and there were no people in the street. The uniformed officers observed Mr. Waddy was holding his left hand in his front hoodie pocket. They gave him verbal direction to stop and show his hands. Mr. Waddy initially put his hands up, but then disregarded the officers, walking around a vehicle and back onto the sidewalk. It appeared to the officers that Mr. Waddy was working to retrieve an item from the front pocket of his hoodie with his left hand as he continued moving towards 20th Street, which was in the direction of the crowd in front of the beer hall. The video shows Mr. Waddy removed a handgun from his front hoodie pocket. When he did so, he was holding the slide of the gun in his left hand. Two officers on Larimer Street were facing Mr. Waddy from several feet away. The officers on Larimer Street were in a position that was nearly perpendicular to the front-facing side of the beer hall, which was directly behind Mr. Waddy. At one point, while Mr. Waddy was holding the firearm, the muzzle of the handgun was pointed in the direction of the officers on Larimer Street. At this time, one officer on Larimer Street fired four rounds at Mr. Waddy from a duty handgun, and another officer fired two rounds at Mr. Waddy from a duty handgun. At the same time, a third officer who followed Mr. Waddy around the vehicle and onto the sidewalk also observed him with a firearm. The officer fired one round when he observed the muzzle of the firearm pointing in the direction of the officers on Larimer Street. The officer on the sidewalk was aware of the people standing behind Mr. Waddy in front of the beer hall. In his statement to investigators, that officer explained he worked to obtain a clear sight picture of Mr. Waddy before firing one round. The officers stopped firing their weapons when they believed Mr. Waddy was no longer a threat. Here is the incident in real time. The officers began rendering aid to Mr. Waddy and immediately recognized additional people on the sidewalk who were south of the subject were also injured. In addition to Mr. Waddy, six people were injured including three adult males and three adult females. We are deeply concerned that six individuals were injured as the officers tried to apprehend Mr. Waddy. Based upon the information we have at this time, we understand that these injuries to these individuals were directly or indirectly caused by the rounds fired by one or more officers. We have been in contact with and are providing all available resources and support to these individuals. Following a police shooting, any officers involved in the incident are separated and assigned to a supervisor once a situation is stabilized. Involved officers remain in the company of the assigned supervisor throughout the initial investigation of the incident. At the scene, investigators recovered a black rock island semi-automatic 10 millimeter handgun. The firearm was loaded with one round in the chamber and seven rounds in the magazine. The hammer on the firearm was cocked back. This was the firearm Mr. Waddy possessed. There is no evidence Mr. Waddy discharged the firearm. Through the investigation, it was determined that three uniformed Denver police officers fired a total of seven rounds. At the conclusion of the investigation, the Denver district attorney will make a determination whether any criminal charges will be filed against any of the officers. After the district attorney renders a decision, the Denver police department's internal affairs bureau and conduct review bureau will complete an administrative review of this incident. The details of the investigation will be presented to a use of force review board, which is made up of community members and police command officers. This incident will be thoroughly reviewed by the department's tactics review board. These boards will determine whether the actions of the involved Denver police officers were in compliance with the high standard expected of every Denver police officer related to policies, training, and tactics. For additional information regarding the investigation of critical incidents or the Denver police department's use of force policies, you may visit denvergov.org slash police. Thank you for taking the time to review this critical incident briefing.