Jury awards $19M to bystanders wounded in shooting by Denver police
officer
[October 18, 2025]
DENVER (AP) — A jury has awarded $19.7 million to six bystanders
who were wounded as a Denver police officer opened fire at an armed man
as bars let out at closing time, attorneys for the plaintiffs said
Friday.
The award for damages is the result of a lawsuit against Denver Police
Department in connection with the 2022 shooting. |
Bailey Alexander, center, speaks alongside Willis Small IV, left, and
Yekalo Wedewihet, three of the six bystanders injured during a police
shooting on July 17, 2022, during a news conference on Jan. 4, 2023, in
the law offices of Rathod Mohamedbhai in Denver. Attorney Christ
Whitney, center rear, looks on. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File) |
|
Police officer Brandon Ramos previously pleaded guilty in the
shooting to a misdemeanor assault charge that makes him
ineligible to serve as a police officer and included a probation
sentence.
Ramos was working in a gun violence prevention team in Denver’s
Lower Downtown neighborhood, near an MLB stadium, bars and
restaurants, when he and two other officers, who were not
charged, shot at Jordan Waddy after he pulled a gun from his
pocket.
A grand jury in those proceedings found that Ramos was not in
danger because Waddy did not turn and face him, and Ramos
disregarded the risk posed to the crowd of people behind Waddy.
Waddy survived his injuries.
Among the bystanders injured, one was shot in the arm and
required surgery, another was hit in the back with by a bullet
that exited through her arm. Another man was grazed by a bullet
on the foot.
In a statement, attorneys for the six wounded bystanders said
the new award for damages “recognizes the suffering that these
six victims endured at the hands of an officer who vowed to
serve and protect."
Attorney Omeed Azmoudeh said separately that the award sends “a
clear message about police conduct" and that bystanders "are not
just a backdrop that you can’t think about.”
A Denver police spokesperson, Officer Kurt Barnes, said Ramos
resigned in February 2024 and the department had no comment on
the verdict.
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights
reserved |
|
|
