Denver police officer gets 10-day suspension

A Denver police officer will face 10 days of suspension without pay for almost shooting a man in the head by accident.

Officer Asher Rose will begin his suspension on Feb. 25 for firing his gun accidentally while trying to turn on the flashlight mounted to the weapon, according to a disciplinary letter obtained by The Denver Post. The bullet struck inches from the head of the man he was attempting to arrest, the letter states.

The incident happened more than a year ago, but the internal administrative investigation didn’t begin until November because the police department’s Use of Force Board was reviewing the incident previously.

Around 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 15, 2017, Rose and Officer Alicia Martinez received a call about an allegedly drunk person attempt to stop vehicles traveling on West Evans Avenue in south Denver, according to the letter.

The two officers arrived at the scene and found the suspect running behind nearby warehouses.

Rose ran after the suspect, who is not named in the document, while Martinez drove the patrol car to where the suspect was. While driving, Martinez heard a gunshot.

Martinez quickly got out of the car and found Rose trying to coax the suspect out from underneath a truck where he was hiding. Rose told Martinez and other officers who arrived shortly afterward that he had fired the shot by accident. Footage from Martinez’s body-worn camera showed that the bullet had struck one of the tires inches from where the suspect’s head had been.