 Hello, my name is Matt Clark, and I'm a Lieutenant in the Denver Police Department's Major Crimes Division. This critical incident debriefing is intended to provide you with information regarding an officer-involved shooting incident that occurred at 10th Avenue and Inka Street in Denver on September 9th, 2020. You are about to see relevant video footage and learn about other evidence and police procedures related to the case so you have an understanding of the details of this incident. 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 for a comprehensive examination of the officer's actions to determine compliance with state statutes and department policies. In accordance with legislation passed in 2015, the investigation of police shootings in Denver are conducted by a multi-agency investigative team made up of members from the Denver and Aurora Police Department Homicides units, as well as the Denver District Attorney's Office. All critical incident investigations are actively monitored by the Office of the Independent Monitor. A word of caution, the images and information you are 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. Viewer discretion is advised. On Wednesday, September 9th, 2020, around 5 p.m., Denver police officers responded to a call involving a male walking in the area of West 10th Avenue and Inka Street with a handgun in his hand. While officers were responding to this initial call for service, multiple people called 911 to report observing the same person. In total, 15 calls were received by the Denver Communication Center regarding the actions of this individual. Someone came by to warn us and told us that there was someone with a gun. There was a man with a gun and he was waving it around at the park down the street. Yeah, there's a guy pulling a gun at people, so I just want to... Okay, is he on foot? He had a couple of people. Yeah, he's on foot. He's raising his hands all over the place. I just saw a man holding a handgun once waving it around and wandering down the street and yelling kind of profanities. There's someone holding a gun waving it around. There's a person in the street shouting at motorists as they're driving by. I don't know if he's drunk or on drugs or what. We had some folks here in the cat shelter and when they went out to the parking lot, they heard gunshots and came back in. There's a man in the middle of the intersection. He is kind of like waving his arms around like asking cars to like come at him or come hit him. Somebody said that he had a gun in his hand. I'd like to report an individual with a handgun out. Okay, we're at. We're pointing it all around. We've got a guy over here on tents in Santa Fe who would have done an exam. Walking down the street. I was on Santa Fe and 12th, and now I'm crossing the street against the light. Pull the gun on all the cars. I just heard what sounded like a series of gunshots. We had some crazy guy out in the street yelling and he just fired his gun off about eight, 10 rounds. Officer Kyle Sonier and Officer Linnea Vento were working together in a patrol assignment and were the first officers to arrive in the area. These officers were wearing a standard Denver Police Department uniform and were using an unmarked police SUV. When the officers arrived in the area of 10th Avenue and Inka Street, they slowly approached the intersection and immediately observed the described male who was later identified as 41-year-old Antonio Blackbear. Mr. Blackbear was seen approaching a Black Ford Explorer that was parked on 10th Avenue between Santa Fe Drive and Inka Street. As the officers came to a stop at the intersection, they recognized Mr. Blackbear was holding a handgun in his right hand. Mr. Blackbear moved directly in front of the Ford Explorer and was observed pointing his handgun at the driver and passenger of that vehicle. At this time, it did not appear that Mr. Blackbear was aware of the officer's presence. Unbeknownst to the officers or the occupants of the vehicle, the handgun Mr. Blackbear possessed was an airsoft replica gun that was made to look like a Glock 17 firearm. The officers exited their vehicle and unholstered their duty handguns. Officer Sonier was on the driver's side of the unmarked police vehicle and Officer Vento was positioned on the passenger side. About this time, a pickup truck occupied by an adult male and his child drove eastbound on West 10th Avenue from Santa Fe Drive. Mr. Blackbear pointed the handgun at the occupants of this vehicle as it went by. When the truck passed, the driver of the parked Ford Explorer slowly exited his vehicle. The driver observed Officer Vento who immediately motioned for him to move away from the vehicle. The driver moved northbound across the street and ducked behind a parked vehicle on the north side of the street. Moments later, the other occupant of the vehicle emerged from the front passenger seat and sought cover behind the Ford Explorer. With the occupants of the vehicle in a safer position, Officer Sonier began issuing verbal commands to Mr. Blackbear. Show me your hands! Upon hearing the officer's commands, Mr. Blackbear turned his body toward the officers and pointed the handgun directly at them. Mr. Blackbear began walking slightly southeast across the street, which began closing the distance between Mr. Blackbear and the officers. Based upon Mr. Blackbear's non-compliance with the officer's orders and his actions with the handgun, both officers feared for their safety and discharged their weapons multiple times at Mr. Blackbear. The first rounds that were fired did not strike Mr. Blackbear. He continued moving in the direction of the officers with his arm extended towards them and the replica handgun in his hand. Officer Vento moved to a position that offered her additional cover while Officer Sonier continued firing at Mr. Blackbear. Shots fired! Shots fired! Mr. Blackbear was struck by one of these rounds and he fell to the ground on the north side of West Tenth Avenue. The officers stopped firing their handguns when they believed Mr. Blackbear was no longer a threat. Officers Sonier and Vento promptly called for additional assistance and requested an ambulance respond to treat Mr. Blackbear. The responding officers approached Mr. Blackbear and immediately began rendering aid. Mr. Blackbear was transported to a local hospital by ambulance. He was pronounced deceased shortly after midnight on September 10, 2020. The handgun Mr. Blackbear possessed was moved by officers and secured in a police vehicle where it was later recovered by investigators. Both officers involved in this incident were uniform patrol officers assigned to the department's city-wide impact team. 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. Through the investigation, it was determined that a total of 13 rounds were fired by the officers. Investigators recovered a replica airsoft pistol that was designed to look like a Gen 3 Glock 17 semi-automatic handgun. Investigators worked to determine Mr. Blackbear's location and actions prior to the incident on 10th Avenue. Video from the light rail station at Colfax Avenue and Auraria Parkway captured Mr. Blackbear walking up to and boarding a light rail train with the replica handgun in his right hand. Mr. Blackbear exited the train at 10th Avenue and Osage Street. Video in the 900 block of Calameth Street captured Mr. Blackbear walking with the handgun in his hand as he began walking eastbound on 10th Avenue. All officers assigned to uniform patrol duties have been issued body-worn cameras. These devices are generally 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 video buffer 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 officer actually 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. Here is the raw video footage that was captured by the involved officer's body-worn cameras. Again, viewer discretion is advised. Impact 10, I need an ambulance. Code 10, we've got the party down. Officers, shot fired. Show me your hands! Get your hands! Get some cover with him. We're good, Vento. Are you good? Okay, yes. Yes, officers are good. We've got the party still at gunpoint. We need something so we can go check him, but I cannot get to him yet. I do not know where the gun is at. Yes, he's down right here. I can't see his hands. I don't know if anyone's hit over here. Right now, the point of aim is westbound. Yes. Impact 10, we are approaching the party. Yes. Yes. Bro, show me your hands! Get your hands up! Okay, let's see if we can get some good stuff going here, guys. Get some gloves on. Get his money in his hands. You good, Nate? Okay, you're okay. Just put him back here. Hey, gun! Good shot, Nate. Okay, you're okay. You're okay, buddy. We're going to get you some help. Dunder police. Stay with us. Mike, are they good over there? Thank you. Can we check if they're okay? Thank you, Mike. Do you know where your passenger's at? Let me get a knife. Let me get a knife. Thank you. Start his clothes off. Let's get him rolled over. Stay with us, sir. We're getting you medical assistance. Stay with us, sir. I don't know. I don't know either. So you check his dock, he's going to roll him back. For a long time, do we need anyone else down there? I'll see if anyone else is going down there, sir. Impact 10, I believe we're good. I just need my medics. Everyone else can go coconut, please. Hands open, they're going to want to get him totally stripped. Your knife is better, sir. Yeah. Is he cuffed back here? Yeah, he's cuffed. Okay, just going to keep the roads open. Hey, wait, wait, wait. Make sure no one's blocking the roads. Okay. No. Car's coming in. Just make sure you leave the... We'll be right through the ambulance. You get back down. Who can follow the bus? Thank you. Whoever's got it, thank you. One, two, three. Did someone say code nine? These guys checked on over here. That was a line of fire. What do you mean? So on the other side of the bus, there's that. So when we showed up, he had these guys at gunpoint turned on us. So I just want to make sure everyone over there is okay. Okay, do we have witnesses over there too? I believe so. Who's that? Dad, just for me, sir. You have a partner? I got a partner. Thank you. Here we go. Here, put this down. Where do I grab? One more. Okay, switch me. Switch me. Switch me. All right. Lift me straight up, Kyle. We get some cars here. Good job, Kyle. Show me your hands! Send us some cars. We're at Inca, 10th, and Inca, subject down. Shots fired. You're good, Kyle? We have a ford that's a victim car. It's going to be Colorado 743, Edward Ocean Victor, two victims. Sir, come back here, please. Move back. So we have a weapons call that came out. He had the ford two at gunpoint. When we gave commands, he turned around and shots fired. You had a passenger in your vehicle, sir? Okay. Are you guys okay? Come back this way behind the GMC. Yes, he was the driver. Victim? Victim driver, correct. Suspect? Anybody else in the car? Um, passenger ran into the building. What did he say? Okay, so we think the car is there. Yes, we just want to clear him and secure the weapon. Okay, Kyle, you good? Yes. Okay. Go ahead. Okay. Go ahead. Thank you. Okay, take off the backpack. Sir, start, um, assistance, medical. Get some gloves on. Okay. He has money in his hands. You're good, Nate? Okay, you're okay. Just put him back here. Okay, gun. Good shot, Nate. Okay, you're okay. You're okay, buddy. We're going to get you some help down for police. Stay with us. Impact 10, we have a medics coming 10, correct? We located the weapon. Thank you, Mike. Do you know where your passenger's at? Let me get a knife. Let me get a knife. Thank you. Here, here's a knife. Okay, stay with us, sir. Officer Bento Denver Police, we're getting you medical assistance. Stay with us, sir. Watch the backpack. I'm going to talk to the victim. Where's my partner? I need, uh, are you Bento? Yeah. Okay. Hi. I'm Detective Andrews. Is your body camera on or off? Yes, it's still on. Okay, you can turn it off. Seems secure. The Denver District Attorney will review the details of this incident and determine if the officer's actions were in compliance with Colorado law. 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 case. The details of the case will be presented to a use of force review board, which is made up of community members and police command officers. The board will determine whether the officer's actions were in compliance with the high standards 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 view this critical incident briefing.