DOC Names Officer Involved In Incident That Led To Shooting At Motorcycle Expo
DENVER (CBS4) - The Colorado Department of Corrections has released the name of an employee involved an incident that led to a deadly shooting and stabbing at the National Western Complex on Saturday.
The CDOC released a statement on Monday identifying the employee as Derrick Duran, a corrections officer at the Denver complex.
"Officer Duran has been employed with the CDOC from May 2012 to present and is currently on administrative leave with pay while the case is under investigation," the CDOC said in the statement.
The man killed over the weekend has been identified as 46-year-old Victor Mendoza. Six other people were hurt when the fight broke out between two motorcycle clubs during the Colorado Motorcycle Expo.
A picture obtained by CBS4 on Monday shows a man with The Iron Order clothing holding a gun, off to the side are men in The Mongols vests. CBS4 Investigator Rick Sallinger spoke with Stephen Stubbs, the national attorney for The Mongols who supplied the photo. He says one shot had already been fired at the point of time when the picture was taken.
"He started waving the gun and threatening The Mongols again. That's when Mr. Mendoza charged him to try to protect his brother," Stubbs said.
Mendoza can be seen in the photo in the back before his attorney says he ran up the stairs and was shot in the chest.
Police swarmed the scene. Witnesses quickly identified which motorcycle clubs were involved, but no arrests were made.
Denver police are appealing for witnesses and video before turning the case over to the district attorney.
"We need to look at a complete package for us to make an arrest. We have to develop probable cause and eliminate affirmative defenses that may be out there," Cmdr. Ron Saunier of the Denver Police Department's Major Crimes Unit told reporters,
The Mongols are a club well known as outlaws. They are headquartered in California with chapters in more than a dozen states. The Iron Order disavows the hard core label. They have been associated with law enforcement bikers at times.
Denver police insist Duran, who fired his weapon, is not getting preferential treatment, but Stubbs isn't so sure.
"We feel like if anybody else this was happening to, they would at least be placed under arrest," Stubbs said. "At least they would have their day in court."
An attorney for The Iron Order said that group did not instigate what happened, only reacted.
Denver police are asking anyone who witnessed the incident or has video to contact them. Denver Manager of Safety Stephanie O'Malley says a discussion is needed as to whether the show should continue in future years where the shooting took place at the National Western Complex.
CBS4's Rick Sallinger is a Peabody award winning reporter who has been with the station more than two decades doing hard news and investigative reporting. Follow him on Twitter @ricksallinger.
