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DENVER — The Denver Police Department released video footage on Wednesday of two separate officer-involved shootings (OIS) that occurred on the same day last week in which officers were wounded.
In each case, police were fired upon by gunmen and both officers returned fire, officials said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon at Denver Police headquarters, 9 News reported.
Chief Ron Thomas and Major Crimes Division Commander Matt Clark provided an update regarding both June 7 shootings during the Wednesday afternoon presser.
The first OIS occurred about 4 a.m. in the 2600 block of Zuni Street outside of a Quality Inn. According to police, a suspect walked out of the hotel directly towards a marked patrol unit that had arrived at the scene a few minutes earlier. Without provocation the gunman shot through the passenger window multiple times and struck the officer sitting in the driver seat.
The officer quickly exited the police vehicle and took cover while engaging the suspect and returning fire. The gunman was struck multiple times, police officials said.
The suspect was identified as 35-year-old Nicholas Lendrum. He was taken into custody and transported to Denver Health. He was later pronounced dead at the hospital, according to the news outlet.
The officer sustained three gunshot strikes to his body armor. He was transported to a local hospital and treated for significant pain and bruising. Fortunately, no rounds penetrated his bullet proof vest. He was later released from the hospital and is recovering at home.
Investigators determined the wounded officer discharged 18 rounds from a Glock 9mm handgun. He also carried a .38-caliber revolver as a backup weapon, which was not fired, according to investigators.
Police determined that Lendrum drove to the hotel and parked on the west side of the building about 4 a.m. After a few minutes, he walked past the officer in the patrol unit without any interaction. He entered the hotel and inquired about renting a room.
Lendrum determined that renting a room was too expensive, so he alked out of the hotel, which is when he opened fire on the officer.
Detectives have not yet been able to determine a motivation for the shooting, according to 9 News.
The unnamed injured officer has been with the agency since 2013.
Video from the OIS can be seen below.
WARNING: Viewer discretion is advised.
The second OIS from the same day happened when officers responded to a Shot Spotter alert just prior to 7:30 p.m. Reports indicate seven gunshots were fired in the area of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Dexter Street.
Officers responding to the scene discovered shell casings in an alley in the area. They were contacted by a witness who provided a suspect description of a male who fired the gunshots as well as a woman who was with him, police said.
About a minute later, officers located a juvenile suspect and woman that matched the description provided by the witness. The pair was found near the intersection of MLK and Elm Street, and officers approached them with emergency lights activated, DPD said.
The male suspect rode a scooter past the officer’s vehicle on MLK before cutting between two private residences, making his way toward the alley between MLK and Thoreau Place. Police stopped their patrol unit in position to cut the suspect off, which caused him to reverse course and run in the opposite direction, 9 News reported.
An officer saw the suspect carrying a gun and ordered him to drop it. The suspect ignored the commands and ran south through the alley. While continuing to flee from police, he turned and fired several shots, striking one officer.
The officer returned fire and hit the gunman multiple times, according to DPD. The suspect was arrested and transported to the hospital for treatment.
The gunman survived and was later medically cleared for booking the at the Gilliam Youth juvenile detention center, police said.
The unnamed wounded officer was wearing body armor at the time of the OIS. A round fired by the suspect struck a spare magazine on his duty belt. A bullet fragment or shrapnel from the damaged magazine hit his lower abdomen, causing significant bruising and pain. He was taken to the hospital in good condition and has subsequently been released.
According to the Shot Spotter system, 10 rounds were fired during the exchange between the officer and the gunman. Investigators determined the officer discharged eight rounds once he was fired upon.
The weapon carried by the suspect was recovered at the scene. It was a Taurus 9mm handgun with a drum-style magazine capable of holding up to 50 rounds, DPD said.
Shell casings recovered from the scene of the OIS were forensically matched to casings recovered from the location where the first shooting transpired.
The injured officer has been with the agency since 2017, according to 9 News.
Bodycamer video from the second shooting can be seen below.
Warning: Viewer discretion is advised.
“The department also recognizes and wants to acknowledge the strong language that was used by the officers during their interactions with the suspect,” Clarke said. “That language, the nature of the commands that were given to the individual, will be examined as part of the administrative review of this case.”
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Source: www.lawofficer.com