- Police Brutality Watch

The family of a man shot to death by Denver police two years ago outside a bar on Federal Boulevard has sued the city and three police officers for excessive and deadly force. According to the complaint filed last week in federal court, police shot Luis Almeida-Ponce 20 times as he exited the Tequila LeClub, 5115 Federal Blvd., early on March 7, 2003. The complaint claims that officers Randy Murr, Joseph Trujillo and William Carr fired 27 rounds at Almeida-Ponce, killing the 24-year-old. The police report stated that the officers had responded to a call nearby, then were flagged down by a woman who said there was a fight in the club involving a man with a gun. Police said Almeida-Ponce came out of the club with a handgun in his waistband. As officers asked him to drop the gun and raise his hands, he started firing at officers, police said. The suit, filed by attorney Daniel Genet, says that Almeida-Ponce was not armed, was not threatening anyone and was killed without justification. The suit also states that the city inadequately trains and supervises police officers, that police fail to use less lethal alternatives and that officers have a "shoot first" policy, particularly in minority neighborhoods. [more]