A Denver Police Department officer who shot and killed a bank robber on the 16th Street Mall will not be charged with a crime, according to the district attorney’s office.
Officer Brent Cairns, a five-year veteran, was justified when he fired two shots at John T. Bazemore because Bazemore pointed a .25-caliber pistol at the officer, according to a letter released Wednesday by District Attorney Beth McCann. The shooting happened on Nov. 10.
Bazemore, 25, had been cornered in an alley on the mall after he robbed ANB Bank at 600 16th St. while wearing a mask and brandishing a pistol, the letter said. Cairns had grabbed Bazemore’s arm to apprehend him when the suspect pointed the gun at Cairns’ stomach from point-blank range.
“Officer Cairns stated that he was preparing to be shot when he fired his weapon,” the letter said.
Bazemore, who had taken nearly $1,500, had been chased by a bank vice president and the teller. The bank employees found Cairns in his patrol car and pointed toward the robber, who was fleeing down the mall, the DA’s letter said.
Multiple people witnessed the chase and Cairns’ encounter with the robber, the report said. Witnesses had warned Cairns that the suspect had a gun, the letter said.
By most accounts, Cairns ordered Bazemore to drop his gun, the report said. Two young women, however, reported they did not see the gun, and that Cairns did not communicate with the suspect.
Bazemore’s father had raised questions about the legitimacy of the shooting, based on statements the young women gave to him. McCann said she considered their statements, which were considerably different from other witnesses.
In the end, the McCann said Cairns’ explanation of events was consistent with the other witnesses. Cairns was interviewed by internal investigators immediately after the shooting, and he had no knowledge of what others were saying, McCann wrote.
Cairns did not activate his body camera until after the shooting, so video evidence does not exist, McCann said.
“This failure may be attributable to the fact that Officer Cairns had not started his shift and that his emergency situation evolved quickly,” McCann wrote.
McCann will hold a public forum to discuss the shooting at 6 p.m. on April 9 at the Blair-Caldwell Library, 2401 Welton Street.
