A Denver-area police officer was fatally shot by a colleague who mistook him for an armed assailant early Friday, authorities said.
James Davies, a 35-year-old police officer in Lakewood, Colorado, was shot outside a house that he and fellow Lakewood officers – including the firing officer – were checking after hearing shots fired there, police spokesman Steve Davis said.
The firing officer, whom police haven’t identified, thought Davies was an armed threat in the dark of night, the spokesman said.
“This has affected our entire department very, very deeply,” Davis told reporters Friday afternoon. “I don’t think it could have a more tragic set of circumstances.”
The incident started when an officer, searching for the source of gunfire that had been heard in the area, saw someone firing a gun on the porch of the home in Lakewood, Davis said.
A number of officers, including Davies, arrived at the home and took three people into custody in connection with the gunfire. Preparing to enter the home a second time to search it for anyone else, officers surrounded the building, with Davies standing in the backyard, Davis said.
In a neighboring yard, on the other side of a fence, an officer saw Davies with a gun and didn’t know he was a police officer, the spokesman said.
“It’s my understanding that the firing officer could see either a silhouette or enough lighting to see someone with a gun, and mistook him for an armed suspect,” Davis said. “Apparently there were some commands given, but quite frankly everyone seems to think Officer Davies thought that the other officer was in contact with someone else, and was giving commands to that person.”
Davies, in full police uniform, would have had little reason to believe that the shouting officer was commanding him, Davis said.
The second officer shot Davies, who died at the scene, the spokesman said.
Davies, who had been with the department for more than six years, had a wife and two children. The department’s chief spent part of Friday consoling Davies’ family.
“You can imagine the anguish that the other officer is going through right now,” Davis said. “We feel like we have two victims in the department, to be quite frank. That officer is really having a difficult time with what happened last night.”
The incident will be investigated by a team of detectives from several agencies in Jefferson County, and a district attorney would decide whether to charge the firing officer after getting the investigators’ report, Davis said.
Police didn’t say what prompted the gunfire that attracted the officers to the home. The three people who had been detained hadn’t been arrested as of Friday afternoon, Davis said. He said he didn’t know whether they would be charged.
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That is what happens when cops are trigger happy, innocent people get killed
idiots
doh!
Yep, they got one of their own this time.
They should feel the same pain when they murder innocent people on lies,pretexts,and in the name of self defense
Police have become licenced uniformed killers..
Wow Mark, you are such a intelligent person. I wish I was you /sarcasm. Its unfortunate, Im sure the shooting officer feels like hell right now. Good luck to him.
They deserve what they get... The have become a disgrace to this country...
And I dont watch "cops" just in case the police somehow profit from it.. Wouldnt want to give them an extra cent of my money...
So, all 1million of them are somehow a disgrace together? Thats pretty much a unsupported bias, not really anything useful. Sounds like you just don't like them, not that they are causing it.
So, "Marine Combat Vet here fool" was you bring a moron on the internet– What exactly does that mean?? And how do you call someone a moron when your own comment sounds like it was written by a child?? Ha
Police are cowardly idiots, and should never be allowed guns... Sounds like a hit to me, you can see a gun but not a full uniform and badge.
Wow! Your conspiracy is SO SMART! I wish I was as smart as you!
If the officer was backlit, then yes, you may not be able to see the badge.
how many times have they? Prove your examples instead of making assumptions on a topic you don't know. You probably watched cops for 30mins right?
Watching COPS at all will only result in watching COPS on good behavior. What do you expect it to show?
I might not be an expert but it seems to me basic gun safety is to know what your are shooting at before you shoot. Like when you go hunting you should maybe make sure you are actually shooting at a deer instead of your hunting buddy. Pretty basic.
Shoot first...
Are you telling me that you can't use Google either? We know you can't shoot well, but even cops should be able to perform a Google search.
Oh it was still high fives all the way around with those officers.
Spencer Shaw- 4 weeks ago boarder police opened fire on each other. 1 being killed when shot in the head.. Does that work for your genius self?? Ha..
Yeah, congrats. You cited a case of 2 other Law Enforcement Officers out of the over 1 million. Yay you.
What a crude and foolish thing to post.
I wouldn't mockingly call anyone genius if I could not spell border.
Police who accidentally kill anyone should not be a cop ever again.
If you crash a delivery truck you loose your job. If your a cop and accidentally kill someone they brush it aside???
????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
READ THIS ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
you can't "loose" a job.
Funny, i see plenty of people who have accidents in their job-even with fatal consquences–who continue in their careers. The thing is, you expect cops to be perfect, and no human being can be perfect. And given their positions where they can be seriously injured or killed if they fail to act within the space of seconds, accidents are all but inevitable. The higher the stakes, the worse potentiol for things to go bad. It's just ahrd for people who have never been in real danger in their lives to come to grips with that idea because they have no frame of reference. How many people really play for those high of stakes at anything in their life?
FIRE ANY COP WHO ACCIDENTALLY KILLS ANYONE.
THEY SHOULD GET A NEW CAREER WHERE MISTAKES DONT KILL SOMEONE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
AMERICANS ARE BEING GUNNED DOWN BY COPS AND ALL THEY SAY IS OOOPS ????????????????????
THIS IS WRONG AND NEEDS TO CHANGE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh my goodness. You are so freaking stupid. Just leave.
You're right Gloria, they should let go of people like doctors and nurses too! When someone accidentally dies on their watch! What a great idea. You could also put in truckers, firemen, EMT, pilots, basically anyone that's had an accident that has killed someone. That would fix our economy in no time! I'd glad you are a Police Officer Gloria and know the stresses of the day to day job to make a sound judgement like you have.
@M I think your comparing apples to oranges, if a person accidently kills someone out of negligence maybe an office job would be more appropriate. If being a public servant is too stressful for you...then lose the gun and badge.
You would do America a great service by not being a police officer.
So if you think of all police as clowns and trigger happy, who do you call when you need help? I know mom and pop.
Marine Comabat Vet here fool.. No one calls the guy who got beat up in high school believe me.. Good bye to you dead cop....
Mark, then don't call them. Fact is, America needs law enforcement. Im surprised as a military vet you'd be so angry to a police officer. Doesnt make sense to me.
Why dosent it make sense?? I just dont care for them due to their actions in recent years.. And whats wrong with me liking that they killed themselves rather than a citizen?? They need to remember that they are public servents and not our rulers...
Your talking about over 1million different people of different genders, race, and backgrounds. That's no different than a cop assuming all black people are bad, than it is for a person to all cops are bad. Law Enforcement is needed; the mistakes are shown much much more than the actual benefit. The news never shows when a Negotiator saves a family and suicidal man, only when something crappy happens.
Mark don't the Marines have police and police ARE citizens too.
Yes, we had MP's. Happily I was not one of them.. I actually had a combat occupation..... What does that have to do with anything.. We didnt care for them either...
You are disgrace to our Corps, Mark. If you truly were a Marine, which I highly doubt.
I have to ask why the shooter was so quick to pull the trigger. Unless the other officer had the gun aimed at him, why did he feel the need to shoot? I'm slow to second-guess an on-the-spot decision, but it sounds like the shooting cop was looking forward to squeezing his trigger.
He shot because he saw a man with a gun. He fired quickly because action is faster than reaction, and its very easy to get shot if you don't shoot first. He didn't see the uniform unfortunately.
Except, Spencer, this is a residential area of the United States; not an Iraqi desert.
These are cops; not soldiers.
They are policing Innocent Until Proven Guilty US Citizens; not terrorists,
Jesus H. Christ, even soldiers in the field on an op like this would either a) stay in contact, or b) identify the target first. Friendly fire is an exceedingly RARE event considering how many bullets the military pops out.
You are rtight, they are not in the Iraqi desert. There, rules of engagement were FAR looser than the ones cops live under. If it is a threat to a grunt, you kill it. If it turns out not to be a threat, oh well, you are alive and life goes on. If a cop makes that mistake they get crucified. And there are no fewer people trying to kill cops than there are running around the desert trying to kill troops. I think it would be amusing to watch cops play by war rules. You'd soon appreciate how much restraint and good judgment they actually use.
And way more times are police officers shot at first during DV encounters, traffic stops, and routine stops. While police are supposed to take risks, they still have families and want to live just like anyone else including criminals. If you expect police officers to martyr themselves to give criminals the benefit of shooting first, who would take the job? No one.
Thats just dumb this guy died because he did not react to his coworkers command he did not even realize he was talking to him a mistake that should not have happend officer did not act in an agressive manner just non responive never said he turned and pointed gun at officer giving commands does not make sense retrain or make him retire
you are right!!!! my life or your life and i am not going out.
None of the liberal cop bashing cowards posting here would ever dream of taking a risky job where they might face death or injury. They just like to pretend they are superior because it makes them feel better about being cowards and being protected by someone braver than themselves. Their animosity is just an outward sign of their interior feelings of inadequacy at being unwilling and unable to defend themsleves. They have a need to dehumaize cops because inside their resent that another person is doing for them what they lack the charachter, integrity, and bravery to do for themselves. It cheapens what little manhood they have to be know themslves to be cowering in the shadow of the people who are willing and able to do what they cannot. Cowardice is a cancer and this is the outward sign of their disease.
Police volunteer for a quasi dangerous job. The citizens that they mistakenly shoot, don't volunteer for any such danger.
Uhm they don't know if they are dealing with a criminal or not. They are not a foreign occupying force, it would be nice to see americans enjoy the same level of protection from US cops as the Afgans do from US troops.
Good idea. No one should take that job.
advocatusdiaboli- No one should shot until they know what they are shooting at.. This has been forgotten in recent years by these clown police.. Just happy it wasnt a citizen this time.. You cannot just go blasting at whatever you feel like.
Its all in the perception of a person. As an vet, Im sure you would know this. That's not different than one soldier shooting a civilian and me saying everyone vet and armed forces member is a "clown".
Well, then I am glad i was never a soldier then.......