Denver police officer indicted by grand jury after police shooting injures
Denver, CO – On January 4, Denver police officer Brandon Ramos was indicted by a grand jury for his actions on July 17, 2022. Ramos and two other officers, Megan Lieberson and Kenneth Rowland, fired their weapons into a crowd of people in an attempt to kill Jordan Waddy, a 21-year-old Black man, who held his hands in the air after throwing away his weapon. Waddy and six other people were injured in the mass shooting.
While Lieberson and Rowland will not see charges from the grand jury, Ramos was charged with two counts of second degree assault (reckless); three counts of third degree assault (knowing/reckless); three counts of third degree assault negligence with a deadly weapon; one count of prohibited use of a weapon; and five counts of reckless endangerment. This marks a substantial victory for groups like the Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee (DACAC), who have been organizing around justice for Jordan Waddy since the shooting took place.
“Grand jury hearings of police brutality cases culminating in the indictment of police officers are so rare that they are considered an exception to the rule,” explains DACAC Chair Jonce Palmer, “However, it must be made clear that this victory came from mass mobilization of hundreds of people over the past six months.”
DACAC has organized multiple events calling upon District Attorney Beth McCann to hold these mass shooters accountable. But McCann instead, called a grand jury to investigate. Grand juries have come under scrutiny in recent years for being willing to indict almost anyone except police officers.
While, given the circumstances, an indictment is a huge step towards justice, DACAC has made it clear that there is more work to do.
“There are still two police officers who have been given a free pass for their reckless behavior, and even Ramos hasn’t been found guilty yet,” says DACAC member Kyle Burroughs, “Waddy is still facing charges and could go to jail for ten years. We’re still fighting for community control of the police.”
Neither the Denver Police Department nor the city of Denver have announced financial restitution for any of the shooting victims. “There is more work to be done to truly hold DPD accountable,” said Burroughs.
The Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee has launched a petition containing demands for police accountability in Denver, accessible at tinyurl.com/freewaddy. DACAC will continue the fight for community control of the police by uniting Denver and Aurora to fight against police crime.