Denver Police Officers Shoot Man Who Was Reaching For a Gun From His Waistband
Posted on
December 12,2023
Denver, Colorado — On November 27, Denver Police DPD officers were conducting extra patrol of the Cedar Run Apartment complex in the 800 block of Oneida Street in the Washington Virginia Vale neighborhood when they spotted a man in the northeast corner of the parking lot next to a pickup truck. Officers were initially drawn to the man because they overheard loud music emanating from a vehicle. The man, 32-year-old Zachary Yates, was moving boxes outside of the vehicles. When one of the officers approached, he noticed an unholstered handgun between his belt and pants on the back side of his waistband. Yates refused to comply with officers who told him he was unlawfully carrying a weapon. Yates stood with his hands at his side.
He asked the officers why it was illegal to have a gun, claiming he had a concealed handgun permit. Officers attempted to get the man to comply for around four minutes. Yates continued to argue with the officers, the video shows. The man then reached behind his back waistband area where the firearm was located. Two officers fired their weapons five times, hitting the suspect twice. Officers rendered aid until an ambulance arrived and took the man to a hospital, where he was treated for gunshot wounds. He survived and has since been released from the hospital. The officers recovered a Glock 17 with one round in the chamber. The magazine in the firearm had a capacity of 17 rounds with 16 in it. Both the magazine size and the gun are prohibited in Denver. Yates was charged with unlawfully carrying a firearm and prohibited possession of a high-capacity magazine.
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