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Supporters of Sharod Kindell, a 23-year-old man shot by a Denver police officer last month during a traffic stop, protested after a court hearing Tuesday for the wounded suspect.
Kindell, clad in a red jail jumpsuit and with a bandaged right arm, appeared briefly for the routine hearing.
The group of about two dozen supporters included members of Kindell’s extended family and his mother, Sherri Landrum, who sobbed as her son appeared before a judge.
Kindell silently looked at supporters and slowly shook his head during the hearing.
“It’s gonna be a long fight,” Landrum said after the hearing.
The supporters stood in court, raised their arms and chanted, “Free Sharod,” after Kindell was led from the jailhouse courtroom and into a holding area. Deputies kept a watchful eye on the group before ordering them to leave and to stop interrupting court.
Kindell is being held on several charges, including first-degree threatening to assault a peace officer with a weapon, second-degree assault of a peace officer, first-degree aggravated motor vehicle theft and possession of a weapon by a previous offender.
Police say Kindell was driving a stolen Jeep when he was stopped by two officers in the Montbello neighborhood on Jan. 9, according to the arrest affidavit.
The affidavit says Kindell refused to cooperate with a request for him to hand over his license, registration and proof of insurance. The officers reported that when they asked him to step out of the vehicle, he started the Jeep, put it in reverse and stepped on the gas, records show.
The two officers were struck by the vehicle and were pushed back into their police cruiser, which was parked behind the Jeep, the affidavit says.
One of the officers fired five rounds at Kindell, striking him in the left thigh, right hand and right arm, according to a police report. Kindell then fled, trying unsuccessfully to enter a vehicle and a home, police said.
The two officers were taken to a hospital and released.
Kindell and his family say he was unjustly stopped and question the officers’ use of force.
Kindell’s mother said her son was not in a stolen car and that she feels officials have changed their story several times.
“It was tough,” Jamal Bowen, Kindell’s brother-in-law, said of the hearing. “Just seeing him in that position is hard to bear.”
Kindell’s traffic stop was one of four times in seven months that Denver police have fired at moving vehicles. Two suspects have been killed and three have been injured. Police say at least three officers have been injured in the incidents.
Police and the city’s independent monitor are reviewing police policies on firing at moving vehicles.
Kindell is next due in court March 24 for a preliminary hearing.
Jesse Paul: 303-954-1733, jpaul@denverpost.com or twitter.com/JesseAPaul
