DENVER — An eyewitness is recounting the terrifying moments he experienced when shots broke out early Sunday morning on 20th & Larimer Streets in downtown Denver.
The Denver Police Department has been tight-lipped on the details. But said officers were downtown near 20th and Larimer streets due to a large number of people leaving the bars in LoDo, according to Denver Police Department Div. Chief Ron Thomas. They noticed there was a person armed with a weapon who was creating a disturbance.
As officers approached the armed person, identified as 21-year-old Jordan Waddy, they determined the person posed a “significant threat,” and multiple officers fired at Waddy after he pointed a handgun at officers, Denver police said in a news release. Police then noticed there were multiple people in the crowd who had been injured “as a result of this incident.”
Police later said five people in the crowd — three women and two men — suffered non-life-threatening injuries from a "direct or indirect result of the officer-involved shooting."
MORE | Multiple people injured, armed person shot by Denver police during downtown disturbance
The witness, who did not want to be identified, shared what he saw and a video with Denver7 that he took of the scene moments after it all happened. He says police showed up after a group of people were arguing in the street and then he heard gunshots. He claims he saw police appear to "randomly shoot into a crowd of people."
"It was definitely a little traumatic to see that go down," said the man. "I heard maybe 6 or 7 shots. I look to my left and I saw a girl who was hit on the thigh and it hit an artery and she was gushing out blood."
Officials say they were confronting an armed person who was posing a significant threat.
"Officers discharged their weapons and that party went down, officers began to render aid and then became aware of other individuals within the crowd injured as a result," said Thomas.
But the witness says, he only saw Denver officers firing shots.
"I can attest that there was no one else who shot a gun but Denver police. I saw them draw their guns. They didn't assess the situation," said the witness.
"Another man who was in shock from being hit, and ran into the Beer Hall parking lot and was sitting in between two cars. I saw the initial suspect. He got hit a couple of times as well. They flipped him over and cuffed him," he added.
Police have not confirmed how many people were injured or if anyone other than the suspect was struck by gunfire.
Several ambulances rushed the victims to the hospital.
The suspect is in critical condition and the rest are in serious condition, according to police.
Denver7's Blayke Roznowski contributed to this report
