Denver, Colorado — On October 19, 2023, around 2:30 p.m., Denver Police were called to the area of 46th Avenue and North York Street for an individual holding a weapon. the suspect pointed the weapon, which turned out to be an airsoft pistol that fires pellets with a similar exterior to real semiautomatic handguns, at a driver who was slowly following the suspect down a city street. The driver left the area and called police. Officers found the suspect that fit the description, walking with a bookbag, with a dog following him. Several cops approached the suspect.

The suspect walked away from the officers, who demanded that he dropped the weapon. The suspect responded to police by shouting, “Shoot me, shoot me.” At one point, the suspect raised the pistol toward the officers, and four officers opened fire. The suspect was shot in the arm and torso. Officers fired 12 total rounds. One of the officers had previously been involved in a shooting while on duty as an officer. The man was taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition. He survived his injuries and is facing multiple counts of felony menacing. No officers or bystanders were injured during the event.