AURORA, CO – On June 22nd, officers from the Denver and Aurora Police Departments were involved in a shooting with a suspect who was armed with a gun.
Six officers in total opened fire on the armed suspect who was pointing the gun at them. The suspect died at the scene, and now, all six officers have been cleared in the shooting as it has been ruled justified.
The 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office recently released the letter which announced that none of the officers would be charged in in the shooting.
Five Denver officers and one Aurora officer fired their weapons at David Guillen on June 22. https://t.co/anpENsc2s3
— Richard Rogers (@PapaBearBlessed) November 7, 2020
The District Attorney letter spelled out the circumstances that led up to the shooting, which began when the suspect, David Guillen, and his girlfriend went to Chambers Liquors in Denver.
Once there, the unnamed girlfriend entered into the store and coaxed the clerk outside, saying that she had dropped a ring under the vehicle and needed him to move it so she could retrieve it.
When the victim got into his car to move it, Guillen entered from the passenger side, pointing a gun at the victim. He then told the victim:
“If you want to live, you are going to drive.”
He then ordered the victim to follow his girlfriend who was driving in another vehicle. Thankfully, a coworker noticed what was occurring and called the police to report the incident. Officers from the Denver Police Department responded to the scene to look for the vehicle.
Officer Dana Gerlach did discover the vehicle and deployed what is known as a Starchase dart, a GPS tracking device that attaches itself to a fleeing vehicle. The victim said that he heard something hit the vehicle and that is when they noticed the police were behind them. Guillen ordered the victim to flee from the police, he told the victim:
“I don’t care if it’s red lights or not, if you stop you die.”
The victim obeyed Guillen who was shoving his firearm into the right side of him while he was driving. Eventually, the victim was able to come to a stop in a warehouse district in Aurora near Abilene Street and East 35th Place.
Guillen told the victim to empty his pockets and he complied. The victim states that when Guillen looked over his shoulder, presumably at the police, the victim saw his chance and fled the area on foot.
Gerlach reported seeing the victim running from the Guillen and saw that Guillen was pointing his firearm at people in the area. Gerlach began giving several orders to Guillen to drop the gun which were ignored.
Other officers at the scene, Detectives Brent Curtis and Randy Wagner as well as Officers Javier Reyes and Carlos Jacobo also gave several orders to Guillen to drop the gun.
Body camera footage noted that Jacobo ordered Guillen to drop the gun a minimum of 13 times. Gerlach issued the order at least 27 times.
The DA letter said that after Aurora Officers James Queisner arrived at the scene, law enforcement continued to follow Guillen for over seven minutes as he “continued to threaten officers and citizens in the area with his handgun.”
Queisner decided to try to ram Guillen with his patrol vehicle in hopes of forcing him to drop the gun. When contact was made, Guillen fired a round and fell to the ground and dropped the gun.
However, Guillen picked up the gun and aimed directly at Reyes who opened fire. The DA said that as the gunfire started, Guillen is seen on video propping himself up on his elbow while pointing the gun at officers, prompting them to open fire as well.
Guillen was struck 23 times from the gunshots from the officers and died at the scene. The DA announced that after they had completed a review of the entire investigation that they would not file criminal charges on the officers.
The DA noted that the deadly force used by the officers were justified because Guillen had placed the officers in imminent danger, which was supported by the video.
November 4, 2020
HENDERSON, NV – Four people are dead following a shooting at an apartment complex near Wigwam Parkway and Stephanie Street, officials said Tuesday morning.
The dead include one person shot by city police.
About 11 a.m. on Tuesday, a dispatcher received a call about a possible shooting at an apartment complex at 1445 Stonelake Cove, which is inside The Douglas at Stonelake apartment complex, about 16 miles southeast of Las Vegas.
Capt. Jason Kuzik of the Henderson Police Department said at a news conference later on Tuesday that the caller reported hearing what sounded like gunshots and seeing:
“Someone with a possible gunshot wound in a nearby doorway.”
Upon arrival, they found two people suffering from gunshot wounds and “a possible suspect in a parked car that was nearby.”
Officers tried to contact this person, and it “resulted in an officer-involved shooting.”
Police say officers approached the vehicle and fatally shot the suspect.
Kuzik said:
“Officers attempted to contact this individual, and this contact resulted in an officer-involved shooting.”
Four people are dead, and authorities transported one person to a nearby hospital. The condition of the person transported to the hospital is unknown.
It’s unclear if all of the victims lived at the apartment complex. A possible motive for the shooting is unknown.
Asked for the condition of the officers involved in the incident, Captain Kuzik said:
“I don’t have the information right now.”
A spokeswoman for the department later confirmed that all officers involved were safe.
The person in the vehicle was among the four people killed. Paramedics took the fifth victim to the hospital.
It’s unknown how many people police shot at or if the man identified as a “possible suspect” got hurt before police arrival.
At the news conference, Captain Kuzik said police have yet to confirm the identities of the people involved. The police were still investigating the matter, including what led to the initial shootings.
The killings took place at a three-story building at an apartment complex, The Douglas at Stonelake, that one resident, Amber Belmonte, said was generally quiet.
Ms. Belmonte, 38, said in a phone interview, she was looking out a window in her apartment on Tuesday morning when she noticed about a half-dozen police vehicles, with sirens blaring, racing into the complex. She went outside to see what was happening.
Ms. Belmonte, an emergency medical technician who grew up in the city, recalled:
“I started seeing assault rifles, bulletproof vests,”
She counted more than two dozen marked police vehicles. More police arrived in unmarked cars, SWAT cars, fire trucks, and ambulances.
That’s when a burst of gunfire rang out. Ms. Belmonte ran back into her apartment. Life is generally uneventful at the apartment complex, including a heated outdoor pool, a bocce court, and a hammock farm.
She said:
“I imagined the only thing I was going to stress about was the election.”
As a result of the shooting, the roads closed near Stephanie Street and Wigwam Avenue following a shooting involving police in Henderson.
Police blocked all lanes were blocked in both directions on Stephanie Street, and a large police presence remained in the area.
Henderson Police continue to investigate October 15, 2020, alleged attempted kidnapping and armed robbery that led to an officer-involved shooting. Officer Scott Alward shot the suspect seven times.
At 6:10 p.m. on October 15, when dispatchers received a 911 call from a man who claimed the suspect kidnapped him. The man escaped his kidnapper and claimed the kidnapper was in Lake Mead Parkway and Boulder Highway.
While on the phone with dispatchers, the man provided a suspect description, vehicle description and said the suspect had a handgun.
Police arrived on the scene soon after the call and located a vehicle fitting the description. Officers attempted to perform a traffic stop, but the car drove away.
A short chase ensued, which ended as the suspect crashed into another vehicle near Galleria Drive and Boulder Highway. The driver of the other vehicle suffered minor injuries at the scene.
The suspect exited his vehicle with a gun in his hand, resulting in the officer-involved shooting. During the investigation, the suspect did not leave the car with a gun in his hand. Police believe the suspect discarded the firearm earlier. Police located a loaded firearm on the roadway on the path of the pursuit.
Paramedics took the suspect to a local hospital, but his status is unknown.
Police say it is too early to know if the alleged kidnapping victim and suspect knew each other. Police say the victim who called 911 was not injured.
Investigators believe the recovered firearm is the same gun the suspect had in his possession during the alleged kidnapping and robbery. Police confiscated and impounded the handgun.
Police have charged David Flores Junior with the following offenses:
- First-degree kidnapping with a deadly weapon.
- Robbery with a deadly weapon.
- Attempted robbery with a deadly weapon.
- Assault on a protected person with a deadly weapon.
- Driver disobeying peace officer, endangering other persons or property.
- Possession of a firearm with an altered or removed serial number and an ex-felon in possession of a firearm.
The suspect is in “stable” condition and expected to survive, according to Plunkett.
According to the Henderson Police Department, this is the fifth officer-involved shooting in 2020.
Officer Alward has been employed with the City of Henderson Police Department since July of 2014 and assigned to the Field Operations Bureau.
Officer Alward remains on administrative leave.
The Henderson Police Department says this remains an active investigation.
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