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DPD Officers Were Charged At Before Fatal Shooting

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Jul 2, 2009 2:02 pm US/Mountain

DPD Officers Were Charged At Before Fatal Shooting

Reporting
Michelle Griego
DENVER (CBS4) ― Denver police on Thursday were investigating an officer-involved shooting that left a man dead.

Two officers responded to a home at 4503 Fillmore Street about 1:20 a.m. on a domestic disturbance call. Inside, they found someone who had appeared to be assaulted.

When the officers started questioning a suspect, he charged at them with what appeared to be a gun.

Both officers fired at the man, striking him multiple times. He was transported to Denver Health Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

Family members have identified him as Hector Esparza, 25, a father of two.

Esparza's brother told CBS4 Hector suffered from bi-polar disorder and was taking new medications that made him hallucinate.

He said Esparza got into a fight with his stepdad and mom and exposed a gun to them before police were called to the home.

The gun turned out to be a pellet gun that looks similar to a real gun. Denver police says the officers were charged at with it and felt their lives were danger.

The incident, as all officer-involved shootings are, will be investigated by the Denver Police Department and the Denver District Attorney's Office. Independent monitor Richard Rosenthal is actively monitoring the investigation.

(© MMIX CBS Television Stations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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