Fatal shooting of teen sparks Denver police probe

Robert Garrison | KUSA-TV, Denver

DENVER – The Denver Office of the Independent Monitor said Tuesday it will evaluate police methods when it comes to officer-involved shootings and moving vehicles.

The announcement comes a day after Denver police shot and killed a 17-year-old girl who they say was in a stolen car that struck and injured an officer.

The Office of the Independent Monitor, a civilian oversight agency for the city, said there have been at least three other officer-involved shootings involving Denver officers shooting at moving vehicles in the last seven months.

The evaluation will assess the current state of the department's policies, practices, and training on shooting at moving vehicles in comparison to national standards and best practices from other police departments in the country.

The announcement came after about 20 people rallied outside District Attorney Mitch Morrissey's office and called for a special prosecutor to investigate the Monday death of 17-year-old Jessica Hernandez.

Morrissey wasn't there during the tense confrontation at his office, where chief deputy district attorneys Doug Jackson and Lamar Sims spoke over shouts and obscenities from some of the protesters.

Jackson said he could not discuss the facts of the case but assured the group that the findings of the investigation will be made public when it's finished.

"You can decide whether we made the right decision or not," Jackson said.

Police released few details about the shooting in a middle-class, residential neighborhood of Denver. They said Hernandez was one of five people in the stolen car and she drove at a police officer.

The four other people in the car were not injured by the gunfire. All were questioned as part of the investigation but none have been charged.

Both officers involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave pending the investigation.

Contributing: The Associated Press