Denver DA: No charges for officers after deadly shooting on Broadway

DENVER (KDVR) — Three Denver police officers have been cleared of criminal charges after they shot a person who was standing in traffic on Broadway last month and moved toward two of them with a hunting knife.

The shooting happened on June 16, and according to an investigation by Denver District Attorney Beth McCann’s office, the officers were justified in their use of force.

The 52-year-old victim, whose legal name was Miguel Tapia, was standing in the intersection of Broadway and Lawrence Street for more than 40 minutes, according to the DA. The DA explained that the suspect presented as female at the time of the incident.

During all conversations cited in the report, Tapia spoke in Spanish. Tapia allegedly told police to use force and threatened officers.

When Tapia pulled out a hunting knife and moved toward officers, two Tasers were fired and hit Tapia, but the DA said that they had no effect.

An officer was heard on previously released body-worn camera footage yelling “shoot her.” The two officers who fired their Tasers plus a third officer on the scene then fired their handguns. According to the DA, 12 shots were fired in a three-second span.

Tapia was hit by multiple gunshots and died at the scene.

“The severity of the threat, coupled with how rapidly Tapia was attacking, meant that time was of the essence and that it was necessary to use a degree of force in defense that was immediately effective. I find it objectively reasonable for the officers to believe that deadly force was necessary, and that a lesser degree of force would have been inadequate to safely defend against Tapia’s actions,” McCann said in a letter explaining her decision to Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas.

DA McCann will hold a virtual community meeting about her decision on Aug. 14, a letter from her office said. Details on how to attend will be shared in the future.

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