Colorado police officer charged with misdemeanor for shooting at people

A Colorado police officer faces a misdemeanor charge for shooting his gun at people while on-duty.

Hudson police Officer Desmond Manning faces one count of reckless endangerment in connection to the incident at 2:43 a.m. Jan. 26 in the Weld County town of Keenesburg. He was charged with the crime on April 5.

Manning was not arrested but instead issued a criminal summons by the Weld County Sheriff’s Office. The summons has few details about the incident except to say he “recklessly and unlawfully engaged in conduct which created a substantial risk of serious bodily injury to another person.” The summons lists the names of three people as his alleged victims.

The charge is connected to an incident where Manning allegedly fired his weapon at an occupied vehicle while on duty, Terasina White, a spokeswoman for the Weld County District Attorney’s Office, said. Nobody was physically harmed in the incident, which was first reported by KUSA-TV.

“While I understand the need for officers’ conduct to be scrutinized, the decision to charge Mr. Manning for his conduct while on patrol compromises every law enforcement officers’ ability to ensure public safety,” David Kaplan, Manning’s attorney, said.

Hudson police Chief Jay Hirokawa declined an interview request from The Denver Post, citing the ongoing criminal case. He also did not answer emailed questions about whether Manning was still working as a police officer in the community or was on leave. The department employs six full time officers, according to its website.

Manning was previously arrested for shooting and killing a teenager who ran through the backyard of his Denver home after the teen allegedly attempted to burglarize a nearby house. The Denver District Attorney’s Office declined to charge Manning in the case, and said there was not enough evidence to prove to a jury he wasn’t acting out of self defense when he shot 16-year-old Alexis Mendez-Perez in the back.

Manning was working as a criminal investigator for the Colorado Department of Corrections at the time, a job he had held for more than two decades. He was not on duty during the shooting. Mendez-Perez’s family in August filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Manning.

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