• Denver police opened fire in a crowd, injuring six bystanders and a suspect, per The Denver Post.
  • While police claimed the suspect pointed a gun, a witness said the suspect never pulled out a gun.
  • The incident qualifies as a mass shooting, according to a definition by the Gun Violence Archive.

Denver police shot six bystanders on Sunday while going after a suspect they claimed to have seen with a gun in a crowded area of the city's downtown.

The Denver shooting can be classified as a mass shooting, as defined by the Gun Violence Archive, which describes the situation as a "minimum of four victims shot, either injured or killed, not including any shooter who may also have been killed or injured in the incident."

At around 1:35 a.m. Sunday near Larimer street and 20th street, the suspect, 21-year-old Jordan Waddy had gotten into a fight outside of a bar, The Denver Post reported. 

Police claimed in a press release that the suspect pointed a gun at them before three officers opened fire, injuring Waddy along with several bystanders.

A witness named Guillermo Cortes told The Denver Post that the suspect never brandished a gun and that the police did not give any warnings before firing.

Conversely, one unnamed officer said, "he was in fear for his life as Waddy was now armed with a firearm and pointed the firearm in their direction," according to KDVR, an outlet that cited police documents.

The police department originally noted that five individuals "suffered non-life-threatening injuries," but on Wednesday confirmed a sixth was also injured.

The incident was the third time the department police officers opened fire in the span of a week — fatally shooting individuals the Wednesday and Friday before.

The shootings add to mounting controversy regarding police use of force policies.

"It was definitely a little traumatic to see that go down," an unnamed source told Denver 7. "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."

"The investigation into this incident, to include interviews and forensic work, is active and ongoing. The Denver Police Department understands the community's desire for additional information and the Department is committed to both maintaining the integrity of this investigation and sharing additional details as soon information has been confirmed through the investigation," The Denver Police Department press release said.

 

The Denver Police Department and several witnesses did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

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