Several injured after police shoot suspect in disturbance in downtown Denver as bars let out

Several people were injured early Sunday morning in a crowded nightlife district after Denver police officers opened fire on a man involved in a disturbance.

Officers were at 20th and Larimer streets around 1:30 a.m. as bars started to close for the night. Officers saw a disturbance that involved an armed man and confronted him, Denver police Division Chief Ron Thomas said in a recorded statement.

Thomas said that officers opened fire and shot the man because the man “posed a significant threat.” Thomas did not say how the man posed a threat.

Officers then became aware of other people in the area who were injured in the incident, Thomas said. He did not say how they were injured or how many people were injured.

The suspect in the disturbance as well as others were transported to the hospital. The suspect was in critical condition and the other people were in serious condition, Thomas said in the recorded statement.

UPDATE: Briefing by Division Chief Ron Thomas at 20th St and Larimer St. pic.twitter.com/Ej99rccBGu

— Denver Police Dept. (@DenverPolice) July 17, 2022

Denver police spokesman Kurt Barnes at 9:30 a.m. Sunday said the investigation into the incident was ongoing and declined to answer questions about how many people were injured, whether they were injured by police gunfire, and whether anyone besides officers fired a weapon. He also declined to provide more details about the disturbance that led to the shooting.

“We’re still investigating, we’re still trying to determine how many people were injured,” he said, noting some people transported themselves to hospitals.

Officers recovered one gun at the scene, Barnes said.