District Attorney McCann Issues Officer-Involved Shooting Letter Investigation and Decision Re August 15, 2019 Shooting of Jamie Fernandez

DENVER—Denver District Attorney Beth McCann’s legal review of the officer-involved shooting that occurred on August 15, 2019, in the area of 1490 Perry Street in Denver is complete. District Attorney McCann concludes that the shooting was legally justified and that no criminal charges are warranted against Denver Police Officer Ismael Lopez or Corporal Brandon Reyes for the reasons outlined in the letter.

“Without any warning, Ms. Fernandez reached into her purse and produced a semi-automatic handgun. She leveled it at the officers and another individual and fired at them,” explained DA McCann. “Under these dangerous circumstances, Officers Lopez and Reyes were forced to make split-second judgments, and their decision to shoot Ms. Fernandez in self-defense and in defense of others was legally justified.”

DA McCann will hold a community meeting to discuss her conclusions. Due to the current health pandemic, that meeting will be held over Microsoft Teams on Tuesday, July 21, 2020, from 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. The public is invited to join that meeting by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3fyhf74.

A copy of DA McCann’s decision letter to Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen is available here: https://www.denverda.org/officer-involved-shooting-investigations-decision-letters-2/.

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