A Denver police officer pleaded guilty Tuesday to firing at an armed man inside a bar, injuring six people in the crowd, a shooting that continues to haunt the victims. I'm letting you do it.
Brandon Ramos, 30, did not speak in court other than to acknowledge he understood his right to plead guilty to third-degree assault, a misdemeanor, in the 2022 shooting. Prosecutors say the conviction disqualifies Ramos from being a police officer, but Denver police say Ramos remains on unpaid leave as they investigate the shooting. did.
Ramos was sentenced to 18 months' probation, but he can seek a shorter term under the terms of his plea agreement with prosecutors.
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Ramos was working for a gun violence prevention team in Denver's Lower Downtown area, near MLB Stadium, bars and restaurants, when he and two other officers, who were not charged, pulled guns from their pockets. He fired a shot at Jordan Wady.
Other police officers were standing in front of Wadi when he drew his gun, but there was nothing but a brick wall and bars behind him. A grand jury found that the other officers feared for their lives and were legally justified in firing at Wadi. However, it turns out that Ramos, who shot Wadi in the side, was not in danger because Wadi did not turn around and face Wadi, and Ramos ignored the risk of shooting Wadi into the crowd that was behind Wadi. did.
Angelica Ray, a teacher celebrating her promotion, was shot in the leg and unable to stand as blood poured into the street. In a statement read in court, Zach McCabe of the District Attorney's Office said the injury cost her her job, but she was later rehired with her hours reduced.
Downtown Denver skyline taken from the Jacquard Hotel rooftop in Denver, Colorado on November 14, 2018. (Photo by Raymond Boyd/Getty Images)
Bailey Alexander was traumatized after seeing her boyfriend covered in blood after being shot. But Alexander, who avoids going downtown, also described the agony her mother endured when she received a call in the middle of the night that her daughter had been shot and rushed to a hospital in Denver from a town three hours away. told.
Ekalo Werdehiwet, whose fiance was in front of him when he was shot, said the separate traumas of the shootings made it difficult for him to communicate.
“The world doesn't feel as familiar or safe as it used to,” he told Brand.
Willis Small IV, who was struck in the leg by the bullet that first struck the other two, said after the hearing that he was not completely satisfied with Ramos' sentence, but that he was held accountable for what happened. He said he was happy to be recognized.
Judge Nikea Brand acknowledged both how the shooting had changed the victim's life forever and the impact that not being able to work as a police officer again would have on Ramos, and wished him well in his “new journey.”
After Ramos was indicted, then-Mayor Michael Hancock questioned the grand jury's decision to indict. The police union said it would do everything in its power to protect Ramos, and said the entire incident could have been avoided if Wadi had stopped and shown officers he was not touching her.
District Attorney Beth McCann also said in a statement that Wadi, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess a weapon by a former offender, was responsible. He has not yet been sentenced.
“Of course, none of this would have happened if Mr. Jordan Wadi had not been in possession of an illegal weapon. That is why Mr. Wadi has pleaded guilty to a felony and is being held accountable for his role in the incident. “I'm so happy about that night,” she said.
Ramos' attorney, Lara Marks Baker, said Ramos comes from a family dedicated to public service and has wanted to become a police officer since he was a child. He said he was motivated to keep people safe and had to make a split-second decision about what to do with the wadi.
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“He is committed to seeing everyone move forward and heal,” she said.
