DENVER — A suspect has been formally charged after he allegedly shot at a car in Denver on Aug. 22, injuring a 13-year-old boy who was heading home with his mother.
On Wednesday, Denver District Attorney Beth McCann announced her office was prosecuting the suspect, identified as 22-year-old Katrelle James.
He has been charged with two counts of attempted first-degree murder – extreme indifference, two counts of attempted first-degree murder – after deliberation, one count of first-degree assault causing serious bodily injury, one count of first-degree assault – extreme indifference, one count of illegal discharge of a firearm, and four sentence enhancers.
The charges stem from a shooting on Aug. 22 along the 1000 block of 14th Avenue in Denver.
That day, mother Kiri and her 13-year-old son Kamorin were driving home after his first day of ninth grade at Denver School of Innovation and Sustainable Design. (Denver7 is honoring Kiri's request to leave out their last names.)
Kiri explained that her son has autism and epilepsy.
Around 4 p.m., she was driving down E. 14th Avenue when she spotted a man she had never seen before screaming in the middle of the road around the intersection with N. Ogden Street, a few blocks northwest of Cheesman Park. She said she had to hit her brakes to avoid hitting the man. She maneuvered around him and continued down 14th.
Then she said she heard "17 rounds" and saw her son, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, was bleeding. He had been shot in his right arm. An ambulance transported him to the hospital, where doctors were able to remove the bullet and treat his wounds.
According to a probable cause statement, multiple witnesses described the suspect as a Black man in his 20s with a white T-shirt, gray pants and a black satchel. He had braided hair, according to the witnesses.
Police found five spent 9mm cartridge casings and one live 9mm cartridge in the area, according to the probable cause statement. They also noted three "suspected bullet defects" on the back of Kiri's car.
Police watched surveillance footage from the area to get a better look at the suspect. They saw a man who matched witness descriptions on camera around 6:57 p.m.
Around 7:18 p.m., as police watched live feeds of the cameras, they spotted the suspect again, according to the probable cause statement.
Police then arrested James.
On Aug. 23, the day after the shooting, James appeared in a yellow jumpsuit during a virtual meeting from the Van-Cise Simonet Detention Center in Denver. He sobbed as the judge explained the charges he could face.
At the end of his hearing, James cried into his shirt and said, "I'm so sorry" before walking off screen.
