Cops' shots at eatery hit family

Police brass: Officers had to take action, 'saved a lot of lives'

By Ivan Moreno

Friday, November 16, 2007

Denver Police

During a Thursday night news conference, Denver police showed photos from the scene at Ha Noi restaurant after Wednesday's gunbattle, including this shotgun with a pistol grip that Phuong Van Dang allegedly used.

Undercover detectives accidentally shot three customers during a lunch-hour standoff with a masked gunman Wednesday after he tried to rob a Vietnamese restaurant, Denver police said.

"They had to do something," police Chief Gerry Whitman said during a news conference Thursday night. "It wasn't a situation were they could say, 'Stop! Police!' because it could turn into a hostage situation. They're trained to stop a threat, and they did exactly that."

Police did not release the names of the injured customers, but gave new details of the attempted robbery that the chief says forced the plainclothes detectives to make a split-second decision.

Police said the suspect, 26-year-old Phuong Van Dang, walked from table to table at the Ha Noi restaurant, masked and carrying black 12-gauge shotgun and a duffel.

At one point, he walked toward the detectives, not knowing they were police officers.

"I can't speak for the officers who were there, and I've never been in this situation, but I think it's the worst possible situation," Whitman said. "You're in a closed area, you have multiple people around you and this guy is going from table to table, standing five feet from you."

Whitman said that the officers were expecting another detective to join them for lunch.

"They considered that in their decision-making process," Whitman said.

Although police said it wasn't known whether the officers fired first, Dang fired one shot, hitting a window behind the officers. He had four rounds left, but the shotgun jammed, police said.

"This was really close," Whitman said. "If this bad guy had raised his shotgun a little bit higher, one of the officers would've definitely taken a full round."

The detectives were about 12 to 15 feet from the suspect when each fired six shots, hitting Dang five times, said Division Chief David Fisher. Four of those bullets passed through Dang's body, according to the preliminary investigation, Fisher said.

A couple and their son, who were behind Dang, were each shot once by the detectives' gunfire. One was shot in the ankle, and another on the side. A bullet grazed the third's leg.

The mother, who is expected to survive, is the only one who remains hospitalized.

"We don't know who fired first," Fisher said. "We don't know if it was the suspect or the officers. And, quite frankly, it really doesn't matter. These officers did what they needed to do to save their lives - they saved a lot of lives inside of this restaurant."

"I've met with these detectives, and they're having a tough time with this," he said. "I can tell you they're very concerned about everyone who was in that restaurant."

Whitman said he has met with the father and son, who have been released from the hospital, and said they support the officer's actions.

"The detectives, of course, are very concerned about the injuries that were sustained by these patrons," the chief said. "I think that these detectives were placed in a hostile situation and they performed courageously, and thankfully they're OK."

• November 16, 2007

  1:36 p.m.

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  immunizer writes:

  Sounds like the detectives are entirely responsible for the shooting. Based on your reporting my guess is that if the detectives had sat tight and complied the robber never would have fired. Instead they jumped the gun, quite literally, and now three innocent people are wounded. As for courage - courage my ass. The cops acted out of fear pure and simple; it would have taken more courage to exercise patience and handle the situation when it was safe to do so.

• November 16, 2007

  2:19 p.m.

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  theScottman writes:

  Face it immunizer, a guy doesn't walk in the back door of a restaurant with a loaded gun just so he can get some soup. He obviously had some criminal intent. You complain about the cops acting out of fear? You have a guy with a shotgun that close to you and you will act out of fear. The rough part about being a cop in Denver is that no matter what you do, it's wrong. If the cop had been patient and somebody would have died, you would post a comment asking "why didnt the cops do something sooner?" You can't have it both ways.

• November 16, 2007

  3:41 p.m.

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  kathyM writes:

  Right on, Scottman. Immunizer is clueless. Were the cops scared? Sure, they're human. But the cops are trained NOT to use their guns unless absolutely necessary. I'd say protecting a restaurant full of people qualifies. If immunizer were there, I bet he'd want those cops to protect him, too! Or perhaps immunizer could join the force and catch bad guys by talking to them.