District Attorney McCann Issues Officer-Involved Shooting Letter Investigation and Decision Re October 21, 2019 Shooting of Adam Martinez

DENVER—Denver District Attorney Beth McCann’s legal review of the officer-involved shooting that occurred on October 21, 2019, in the area of West 8^th Avenue under I-25 in Denver is complete. District Attorney McCann concluded that the shooting was legally justified and that no criminal charges are warranted against Denver Police Officers Ismael Lopez, Vincent Vasquez or John Allred for the reasons outlined in the letter.

“After first attempting a carjacking at knifepoint, Adam Martinez then stole a police car which had an AR-15 rifle in the passenger seat,” said DA McCann. “Mr. Martinez then drove the car in heavy traffic on 6th Ave., Federal Blvd. and 8th Ave. while holding the police officer’s rifle out the window of the car and periodically waving it around, at one time, pointing it at officers who were directing traffic. Officers ultimately deployed a PIT maneuver to stop Mr. Martinez who responded by pointing the AR-15 at officers. At that point, Officers Vasquez, Lopez and Allred shot and killed Mr. Martinez in self-defense and defense of others.”

DA McCann will hold a community meeting to discuss her conclusion on Monday, August 10, 2020, from 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Due to the current health pandemic, that meeting will take place over Microsoft Teams and the public may attend by clicking here: https://bit.ly/33hkigV.

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

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