(COLORADO SPRINGS) — The 4th Judicial District Attorney’s Office (DA) has completed its review of a June 2024 officer-involved shooting in Downtown Colorado Springs, and ruled the officer’s use of force justified.
The incident happened shortly before 1 a.m. on Sunday, June 9, 2024. According to the DA’s review, officers responded to a disturbance outside the now-defunct NOVA nightclub on South Nevada Avenue near Pikes Peak Avenue.
According to the DA’s review, surveillance video captured the incident outside the nightclub, which involved 21-year-old Al’Morion Javonne Germany engaged in a verbal argument with an unidentified woman. The review states that Germany can be seen backing away as the woman walks toward him, before he pulls a gun and points it at the woman’s face.
Germany then allegedly hit the woman in the head with the gun, sending her to the ground. The woman’s husband then began to approach Germany, which was when an officer with the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) intervened.
Officer Benjamin Hengel announced himself as an officer and drew his taser, approaching Germany as Germany continued backing away. Germany then allegedly pointed his gun at Officer Hengel and the injured woman’s husband, to which Officer Hengel drew his own gun.
Germany reportedly ran north on Nevada Avenue toward Pikes Peak Avenue, ignoring repeated commands from officers to stop and drop the gun. Additional officers joined Hengel in the chase as Germany ran east on Pikes Peak. At a certain distance from Germany, Hengel dropped his taser, attesting in a later interview that it would not have been effective at the distance Germany had run.
Hengel once again ordered Germany to stop and drop the gun before firing at Germany. Germany dropped his gun, and was hit three times in the back. Officers immediately provided medical aid to Germany, the DA’s report states.
Germany survived his injuries and is facing charges including felony first degree assault.
In post-incident interviews with officers, all corroborated the perceived danger to the general public that was posed by Germany running through a heavily populated area of Downtown with a weapon. Based on that fact, and the fact that Germany did not comply with officers’ commands to drop the gun, officers’ use of force was deemed justified by the 4th Judicial DA based on a reasonable belief that people were in danger.
