The fatal shooting of an unarmed man by a Denver police officer Tuesday has raised questions about the decision to shoot and the attempt to serve an arrest warrant near a busy city intersection, an art museum and a large park during lunch hour.

“It’s troubling they shot a man who was unarmed,” said the Rev. Terrence Hughes, pastor of New Covenant Alpha Omega Ministries in Denver. “But it’s even more troubling when it’s compounded by the women, children and passers-by who were in that area. It’s a reckless and dangerous situation.”

On Wednesday, the Denver medical examiner identified the dead man as Dion Damon, 40. He died of gunshot wounds.

The Denver Police Department acknowledged Damon was unarmed and provided more details about the shooting, including naming Technician Jeff Motz as the officer who fired seven shots into the car’s windshield.

Motz, a decorated officer who has been on the force since 1993, was placed on administrative leave, pending the outcome of the investigation.

Read: Six things to know about an officer-involved shooting in Denver

Denver police Cmdr. Ron Saunier, who leads the major crimes division, described Damon as “a very dangerous individual.”

Motz fired after Damon made a “threatening-type maneuver,” Saunier said.

The Rev. Timothy Tyler, pastor of Shorter Community AME Church, scoffed at the explanation.

“I’m not sure what a ‘threatening-type maneuver’ is,” Tyler said. “Is that scratching your nose? That’s lingo (that) law enforcement uses to justify themselves when they shoot unarmed people. The bottom line is if he was not armed, why did you shoot the man seven times?”

The Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force had been following Damon so it could serve an arrest warrant connected to a March 17 bank robbery in the 500 block of South Holly Street in Denver.

During the “takeover-style bank robbery,” the suspect, who was carrying a handgun, had ordered customers and bank employees to lie on the floor face down, a sign the suspect is willing to escalate violence, Saunier said.

The task force obtained an arrest warrant Monday and began surveillance Tuesday.

Detectives knew a woman and a child were in Damon’s car as they followed until he parked in the 1300 block of Bannock Street, near 14th Avenue and adjacent to the Denver Art Museum at Civic Center.

Detectives watched the car for a period of time, Saunier said. The woman got out with the child and walked away, turned back toward the car but then resumed walking away.

Officers decided to make the move for an arrest once the woman and child were away, Saunier said. They boxed in Damon’s car to make sure it could not move.

Damon’s car had heavily tinted side windows, and Motz was positioned in front of the car and could see through the windshield.

Officers from the Denver police SWAT unit spent about one minute ordering Damon to exit the car.

“There were some non-compliant gestures being made,” Saunier said.

Then the suspect “comes up with a threatening-type maneuver,” he said. “He comes up, and the officer believes the suspect has a gun and immediately opens fire.”

Damon was pronounced dead at the scene.

After the shooting, investigators searched Damon’s car but never found a gun, Saunier said.

On Tuesday, Damon’s stepfather, Johnnie Miles, had told The Denver Post that he did not believe his stepson would be carrying a gun while a child was in his car. And Miles said he did not believe Damon would threaten police because the family is aware of the risk that brings, especially to minority men.

While Saunier described Damon as a dangerous person with a long criminal record, Colorado Bureau of Investigation records showed several arrests for minor crimes such as shoplifting and only one conviction in 1998, for extortion.

Community activists who monitor police shootings said the incident reminded them of the July 2014 shooting of Ryan Ronquillo, an unarmed man shot to death by police in a crowded funeral home parking lot. Families with children were nearby when the shots were fired.

In that case, the Denver Police Department cleared its officers of wrongdoing despite the city’s police watchdog saying the order to apprehend Ronquillo in that situation was inconsistent with policy.

The same day Ronquillo was killed, Denver police also shot and killed an armed drug suspect during an undercover operation in a park. That case prompted Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey to question the tactics used in a busy park where people were exercising and walking pets.

Tuesday’s shooting once again left people questioning officers’ decisions.

“Surely, surely, there was a safe or safer way for law enforcement to serve a warrant on a suspect,” said Mark Silverstein, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado. “If there had been a shootout, other than the one-sided shootout, I would assume it would have endangered the many people in the area.”

Some Denver police officers appear to have problems making sensible decisions on the streets, Hughes said. He also expressed concern about a large team of police tailing someone while a child was in the car.

“There are a lot of things that are so alarming about this case,” Hughes said. “We get the need to apprehend dangerous people, but there seems to be no concern for the community’s overall safety.”

Saunier said those questions would be asked during the investigations that follow any officer-involved shooting.

“I guess that’s some of the questions we’re going to ask,” Saunier said. “This is a very dangerous individual that we do believe we need to take into custody sooner rather than later.”

Noelle Phillips: 303-954-1661, nphillips@denverpost.com or @noelle_phillips