Officer shot by handcuffed man released from hospital, suspect identified

DENVER — The Denver police officer shot in the neck by a suspect who was apparently handcuffed and in the sally port of the downtown jail was released from the hospital Tuesday morning, and the suspect was identified as a 32-year-old man.

Court records and the Denver Police Department identified the suspect as Daniel Cheeseman, 32.

He was arrested for investigation of possession of more than 50 grams of fentanyl with intent to distribute, motor vehicle theft and possession of a weapon by a previous offender in one case, and for investigation of two counts of attempted first-degree murder of a peace officer and possession of a weapon by a previous offender in the shooting case, according to records.

Cheeseman was originally set to make his first court appearance in both cases Tuesday morning, but that hearing was pushed back to Wednesday morning because he was still in the hospital. Court records also show that Cheeseman had an open warrant for failing to appear in court in a case in Jefferson County last year.

The Denver Police Department said it would not be holding a news conference Tuesday but would release more information about the incident in the coming days. The department said it was not releasing more information about how Cheeseman apparently got ahold of the second weapon because that aspect of what transpired was still under investigation.

“As stated during Chief Thomas’ early morning briefing, officers searched the suspect upon arrest, and during that search officers recovered a handgun and a large quantity of suspected narcotics,” a spokesperson said in an email to Denver7 Tuesday.

The Denver Department of Public Safety said the officer is expected to make a full recovery and that it was concerned about any incidents that could hurt its personnel.

“There is an open investigation into the incident which will include a thorough review to identify if there are any training or procedural changes that need to be made. Additional information will be shared once that is complete,” a spokesperson said in an email.

Records show Cheeseman has a long criminal history in Colorado, including convictions for drugs, motor vehicle theft, menacing, robbery and more.

Read Related Also: OBR predicts year-long recession as Britons face biggest fall in living standards since 1950s

According to Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas, who spoke with the media around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, Denver officers spotted a stolen vehicle in southwest Denver around 9 p.m. Monday. The driver tried to elude officers but stopped at Iowa Avenue and Lowell Boulevard and walked away from the vehicle before he was detained, Thomas said.

Denver Police Department officer shot in the neck Monday night

Once they confirmed the vehicle was stolen, according to Thomas, they arrested the man later identified as Cheeseman.

Cheeseman was apparently searched because Thomas said officers found a handgun and a “large quantity” of suspect drugs. He was put into the backseat of a police vehicle and taken to the downtown jail around 11 p.m., Thomas said.

The officers parked in the sally port of the jail. According to Thomas, as officers were taking Cheeseman out of the vehicle, he somehow got ahold of another weapon and shot the officer in the neck.

It is not clear from where Cheeseman obtained and produced the weapon.

At least one other officer in the sally port shot Cheeseman multiple times. He and the officer who was shot were both taken to Denver Health Medical Center. Cheeseman was in critical condition early Tuesday morning, according to Thomas.

The officer who was shot and released from the hospital has not been identified, but Thomas said he had been on the force for at least seven years.