A man being chased by a Denver police officer Sunday afternoon turned and fired at the officer, police said, prompting authorities to cordon off several blocks in northeast Denver while they searched for the suspect.
The officer was not hit by the gunshot, nor was he injured in the chase. But, coming just four days after an Aurora police detective was shot and killed, it was another scary reminder for police of the peril they can face.
“Thoughts of the job that we do every day, which can be a very dangerous job, are something that’s always with us,” Denver police spokesman John White said. “We’re always aware of the danger the job involves.”
After more than two hours of searching, officers, with the help of a police dog, arrested a suspect hiding in a parked recreational vehicle, White said. Officers recovered a handgun from the RV, White said. Police were still trying to confirm the suspect’s identity Sunday evening.
The incident began about 2:40 Sunday afternoon. The officer was on patrol duty near East 33rd Avenue and Holly Street when he spotted a vehicle that he thought looked suspicious. The officer did a background check on the license plate and learned that the car had been reported stolen, White said.
When the officer confronted the man inside the car, White said, the man bolted. During the brief foot chase, the suspect turned around and fired a single shot at the officer, who did not shoot back, White said.
Heaven Frazier said she was walking with her mother near their home Sunday afternoon when they heard a bang. They saw a man dressed all in black, gun in hand, running toward them.
“I was scared,” Frazier said.
The man veered off before reaching them.
Indya Brown said she was hanging out at her in-laws’ house Sunday when she heard the shooting. Shortly thereafter, her 5-year-old son and her 6-year-old nephew saw a man run through their backyard, then jump the fence into the property next door.
“I was afraid because I didn’t know if any stray bullets were going to get the kids outside playing,” she said.
Mikky Finch, who was at the house, went outside and saw an officer with his gun drawn. Finch motioned to the officer where the man went.
“It’s a good thing” that police caught the suspect, Finch said. “… It could have been us if we were out there.”
Officers eventually zeroed in on the RV, White said. The man was taken to the hospital for treatment of dog bites.
Police expressed relief that the situation ended peacefully.
“Here’s an individual who has turned and fired at a police officer,” White said. “That shows this individual was desperate, and it shows he was willing to take the life of a law enforcement officer. … We are very pleased that he’s in custody.”
Staff writer John Ingold can be reached at 720-929-0898 or jingold@denverpost.com.
