Denver police released new details on April 16, 2026, about a deadly shooting that happened April 7 near South Quitman Street and West Tennessee Avenue at about 5 p. m. Officers were called after a relative dialed 911 about Joseph Martinez, 58, who was allegedly outside with a gun, and investigators said the weapon appeared to be a hunting rifle. A SWAT officer shot Martinez after police said he did not comply with orders to drop the weapon, and Martinez later died at the hospital.
What investigators say happened
Police said they released drone video and body-worn camera video of the encounter on Wednesday as part of the ongoing review. Investigators said officers reached the home after the 911 call and encountered a situation they described as fast-moving and dangerous, with the weapon pointed directly at SWAT officers. Denver Police Cmdr. Matt Clark said there was communication that the weapon may not have been a functioning or real weapon, but officers were left facing something that looked very similar to a rifle.
In that moment, the department said, the officer fired after Martinez did not follow commands to drop the weapon. The officer who shot and killed Martinez was taken off patrol per department policy.
Immediate reaction from Denver Police
Cmdr. Clark described the split-second judgment officers faced and said the information available to them did not resolve the threat before the shooting. “There was a communication that was provided, they thought the weapon may not be a functioning or real weapon, but there was no more information, and officers were left with a weapon that looked very similar to a rifle that was pointed directly at them, ” Clark said.
Denver police have not added further details beyond the video release, but the department’s account centers on the belief that the object Martinez held appeared to be a rifle. The case is now framed by what officers saw, what they were told, and what the released footage shows.
Why this case is drawing attention
The shooting raises urgent questions about how officers respond when a weapon appears real but turns out not to be a firearm. It also underscores how quickly a call involving a possible gun can escalate once SWAT officers are on scene. For Denver police, the release of video and details suggests the department is trying to lay out the timeline clearly while the internal review continues.
What happens next
For now, the key facts remain fixed: the April 7 shooting, the 911 call, the weapon that investigators say looked like a hunting rifle, and the death of Martinez after he was taken to the hospital. More public details may follow as the case moves through the department’s process, but Denver police have not announced any new timeline. The focus now stays on how Denver police handled the encounter and what the released video adds to the record.
