Beth McCann

District Attorney

Second Judical District

370 17th Street, Suite 5300,
Denver, CO 80202

720-913-2000
Beth.McCann@denverda.org

News Release

November 16, 2022 Contact: Carolyn Tyler, Communications Director, carolyn.tyler@denverda.org, 720-913-9025

Denver DA Finds Officer-Involved Shooting was Legally Justified

DENVER— Denver District Attorney Beth McCann has reviewed the officer-involved shooting incident from July 15, 2022, at 329 East 51st Avenue in Denver and concluded that the shooting death of Mr. Chaz Theodore Gallegos (age 33) by a Denver Police Department officer was legally justified. No criminal charges will be filed against the one officer who fired a single fatal shot.

That morning, several Denver Police Department officers responded to a domestic violence assault in progress. Officers kicked in the door and saw that Mr. Gallegos held a knife to a woman’s throat. Gallegos had already stabbed the woman in the neck and she was bleeding badly as he forcibly held her from behind and used her as a human shield. Gallegos ignored all police commands to let her go and announced repeatedly, “I’m going to kill her”.

“In my judgment, these officers had legitimate reason to fear that Mr. Chaz Gallegos would further injure or kill the woman at any moment,” said Denver DA Beth McCann. “The officers also saw signs that the woman was suffering from blood loss and might be at risk of bleeding to death if they delayed taking action any longer. Pursuant to Colorado law, I conclude that this shooting was legally justified in order to protect the female from further injury or death.”

As is her practice, District Attorney McCann will hold a virtual community meeting to discuss this incident and her conclusions on Tuesday, November 29th from 5:30 – 7:00 pm. The public is invited to join this online meeting that will take place over Microsoft Teams by clicking here:  https://bit.ly/3O7DrqF.

DA McCann’s decision letter to Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas is available for review.

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