Five bystanders were injured when officers shot and wounded a man who allegedly pointed a handgun at police as bars emptied for the night in a neighborhood known for its nightlife early Sunday morning, police said.
Investigators were trying to determine whether the bystanders were hit by police gunfire or by ricocheting bullets or shrapnel, police said in a statement that added that the man with the gun did not appear to have fired it.
The three women and two men did not suffer life-threatening injuries in the shooting at about 1:30 a.m. in the Lower Downtown neighborhood, the statement said.
DENVER OFFICER-INVOLVED SHOOTING AMID BAR CROWD LEAVES SUSPECT, OTHERS SERIOUSLY INJURED
The man accused of having the gun, Jordan Waddy, 21, was expected to survive, according to the statement.
NYC SEES 11 SEPARATE SHOOTINGS, STABBINGS HOURS AFTER ADAMS VOWED TO ‘TURN THIS CRIME THING AROUND’
Officers had been patrolling the neighborhood as bars closed, saw a disturbance and confronted Waddy, who "posed a significant threat", Police Division Chief Ron Thomas said in a video message.
Waddy was arrested for on suspicion of felony menacing and possession of a handgun by a previous offender.
GUN CONTROL ADVOCATES STUNNED MAN WHO ALLEGEDLY SHOT INDIANA MALL SHOOTER LABELED 'GOOD SAMARITAN'
Court records said he is represented by a lawyer from the public defender's office, which does not comment on cases.