A 30-year-old man shot by police after he pointed a gun at officers died from one gunshot wound to the chest but the man’s “acute methamphetamine toxicity” was a “significant contributing factor” in his death, the Denver coroner’s office reported.
The two doctors who performed the autopsy on Nicholas Alvarado-Morales said that his methamphetamine level was 800 nanograms per millilitre (ng/ml).
They noted that violent and irrational behavior has been reported in individuals with much lower methamphetamine levels – from 200-to-600 ng/ml.
Alvarado-Morales was shot Dec. 13 when he pointed a gun at police who were responding to reports that someone was shooting a weapon along West Louisiana Avenue near the intersection of South Patton Court.
Officer Kevin Ford fired five shots when Alvarado-Morales pointed a Ruger 9mm P89semiautomatic at him.
When the Ruger was recovered, the magazine was empty and there was a live round in the chamber. There was no evidence that Alvarado-Morales fired the gun in the intersection, but two spent cartridge cases were recovered nearby from earlier shots, which lead to residents near the intersection calling police.
According to the autopsy report, only one of the bullets fired at Alvarado-Morales hit him.
The doctors noted that after Alvarado-Morales was shot, he continued to resist officers, and was physically restrained by police who applied pressure with their knees to the suspect’s legs and possibly back.
Once the handcuffs were placed on him, Alvarado-Morales went unconscious.
The autopsy said that the physical restraint applied by officers was not a factor in Alvarado-Morales’ death.
The Denver district attorney’s office concluded Ford was justified in shooting. Officers have a right to defend themselves from a perceived imminent deadly threat, said the district attorney’s report.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
