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Woman claims Brighton Police handcuffed man, shot him after confusing him for suspect

Posted at 4:52 PM, Feb 09, 2018
and last updated 2018-02-09 21:06:39-05

BRIGHTON, Colo. – A woman is questioning the story put forth by the Brighton Police Department after one of their officers shot and injured a man following a scuffle late Wednesday.

Police responded Wednesday evening to the 700 block of Mockingbird Street after receiving a report of a man chasing a woman.

When police officers found the man, a struggle ensued between him and a police officer and the officer fired his gun, hitting the suspect.

Now, Vanessa Duran is speaking to Denver7 hoping to set the record straight.

Duran says her boyfriend, Carlos Candelaria, wasn't chasing a woman and that police shot him while he was still in handcuffs.

Duran said she was on her way home from grabbing dinner that evening when her car died before she could park in her apartment complex.

She said she decided to walk up to her apartment when she yelled at Candelaria to get back to her vehicle as her belongings were still inside and she was just going to go get cables.

Duran told Denver7 her yelling at Candelaria may have led to someone possibly calling the cops.

“I come back down and running out and Carlos is in the car eating his food. And Brighton police pulls up,” Duran said. “And he says they got a call of domestic violence…a man chasing a woman.”

Duran said both her and Candelaria were then handcuffed.

“He got detained, and then he turned around and told the cops, ‘why are we being harassed and detained?’” Duran said. “The cop thought he was resisting arrest, chose to tackle him to the ground, started yelling ‘Gun! Gun! He’s reaching for my gun!’”

Duran said the next thing she heard was a loud noise and realized Candelaria had been shot.

Candelaria was taken to a hospital with unknown injuries, but Duran told Denver7 he’s undergone his second surgery.

Duran is now seeking justice for what she said was a shooting that did not need to happen.

“I want justice… I want justice… this was uncalled for,” Duran said.

Denver7 reached out to the Brighton Police Department for comment, but they said they could not comment on the situation as it was still under investigation. On Friday evening, they tweeted they were confident in their ongoing investigation.

The officer who shot the alleged suspect has been put on administrative leave as the investigation continues.