EVANS — About 40 people assembled in front of the Evans Police Department on Saturday morning to protest the Jan. 4 police shooting of Michael Ray Rodriguez.
They carried signs reading “Brown Lives Matter,” “Transparency” and “Rest in Peace Michael,” as they walked up and down 37th Street at 11th Avenue, eliciting honks of approval and some jeers of disapproval as people drove by.
The demonstration was peaceful, and no issues arose. Evans police did not confront the protesters, who remained there until about noon.
Authorities in Weld County said on Friday that police officers in Evans fired 11 bullets at Rodriguez when they fatally wounded him outside a pool hall in the 800 block of 31st Street on Jan. 4.
They say he was armed. Family and friends say he was just trying to fix his disabled car.
The county district attorney’s office released the number of shots fired after the Greeley Tribune reported more than 30 shots had been fired at Rodriguez.
The office said those reports were erroneous and incorrectly based on evidence-marker counts at the crime scene.
“One component of this investigation was a complete processing of the shooting scene by major crime scene investigators,” the office said in a news release.
“In doing so, investigators utilized numbered evidence placards to individually identify all items of potential evidence.”
The office said the “evidence placards are not indicative of the number of shots allegedly fired by police officers during this incident.”
Police in Evans said they were called to the pool hall on a report of a man with a gun.
When officers arrived, police say they encountered an armed Rodriguez. Police said he refused orders by Evans and La Salle police officers to drop the weapon before he was shot.
Supporters have taken to social media to express their anger, posting on Twitter using the trends #MichaelRod riguez, #970wantsjustice, #RIPbigmike and #justiceforbigmike.
The district attorney’s office says it expects to complete its review of the fatal shooting within 30 to 45 days.
Denver Post staff writer Jesse Paul contributed to this report.
