Police bodycam footage released late last week shows the moment a violent transgender person was gunned down by Denver police after ignoring several commands to surrender and threatening them with a knife.
The Denver Gazette revealed Tuesday that the shooting happened on June 16 at around 11:30 a.m. at the intersection of Broadway and Lawrence Street in Colorado’s capital city. Police officers responded to someone standing in the intersection, telling passing motorists to hit him.
The person killed in the shooting was 52-year-old Miguel Tapia. Police identified Tapia as transgender.
Denver cops previously mistakenly identified him as a woman.
In the bodycam footage released by the Denver Police Department (DPD), one of the officers can be heard telling Tapia to “put his stuff down and his hands on his head.” The perp defies the officer’s commands.
The cop and two of his fellow officers exit their vehicles with pointed tasers. Tapia responds to the officers by yelling at them in Spanish and marching toward them while holding a bag in each hand.
Another officer tells Tapia in Spanish to surrender, which he again ignores. Roughly 15 seconds later, the suspect puts his bookbag on his shoulder and pulls out a knife with an eight-inch blade from his waistband.
Tapia then approaches the cops. Two officers fire three Taser cartridges at the thug in self-defense, but this does not deter him.
With their options dwindling, the three cops pull out their handguns and unload 12 rounds at Tapia. He falls to the ground in a heap.
Police proceed to handcuff the lifeless suspect.
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The Denver Gazette reports police called for an ambulance and began rendering aid after Tapia fell. He was pronounced dead on the scene and later identified by the Office of the Medical Examiner.
Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas told reporters that the perp’s ‘gender identity’ played no role in their actions. Instead, the police response was solely based on the suspect’s criminal behavior.
“We have discovered the person was transgendered, and there was a belief that the person was houseless, but that did not factor into our decision,” Thomas explained.
“What factored into our decision was the person had a knife and was moving aggressively toward the officers,” he added.
Denver 7 News reports two of the officers who fired weapons were patrol officers while the third was a sergeant who started with DPD in 2001.
According to Denver 7 News, the heroic cops have been placed on a modified duty status while they complete DPD’s reintegration program and the investigation unfolds. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the Colorado State Patrol are investigating the matter.
The outlet notes their findings will be overseen by the Office of Independent Monitor which will then turn them over to the Denver District Attorney’s Office.
