Bodycam video released Tuesday shows Waddy, who is surrounded by DPD officers with their weapons drawn, pulling out a gun from his hoodie, throwing it to his left, and then appears to start to raise his hands when officers open fire.
The amount of time that transpires from when the suspect drops his gun to when gunfire erupts is only 1/6 of a second. A third officer is seen continuing to fire one round after Waddy falls to the ground.
McCann said this case rises to a level where an investigation of the Denver Police Department’s Internal Affairs Bureau may not be enough.
“The public’s interest in this particular shooting incident is understandably high,” McCann said in a statement. “For the community to trust in the outcome from this incident, it is important that independent members of the community review the facts, evidence and law regarding whether these officers should be criminally charged. Until the grand jury’s work is complete, my office will have no further comment on this matter.”
Rathod | Mohamedbhai LLC, a law firm representing some of the bystanders injured in the shooting, praised the move to open a grand jury investigation.
“Although we commend District Attorney McCann for treating this matter with the seriousness it deserves, a grand jury investigation alone cannot bring justice to the victims in this matter. DA McCann must ensure this case does not follow the pattern of grand jury investigations being used to exonerate and legitimize officer misconduct. Denver’s officers must be indicted and tried for their extremely reckless acts of violence,” a statement from the law firm read.
Read the article in its entirety at thedenverchannel.com