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Video shows moment cuffed suspect shot Denver cop in the neck outside jail

Officers had recovered a “high capacity handgun” during the suspect’s initial arrest, but he was in possession of a second hidden gun on his body

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Photo/YouTube via FOX 31 News

By Ashley Silver
Police1

DENVER — New bodycam video of a Denver jail shooting that nearly cost an officer his life was recently released by the Denver Department of Public Safety.

Officer Jordan Archuleta was allegedly shot in the neck by Daniel Cheeseman as he was in the process of being booked into Denver’s downtown detention center last month. Bodycam videos from Archuleta, his partner, Alicia Martinez, and Cpl. Thomas Schmidt, who was parked inside a nearby marked police car when the shooting happened, show the incident beginning in the sally port of the detention center after Cheeseman had been arrested by Archuleta and Martinez for motor vehicle theft, drug possession and being a felon in possession of a gun.

According to KDVR News, officers recovered a “high capacity handgun” and a “very large quantity of suspected fentanyl” inside a backpack owned by Cheeseman during the initial arrest. However, Cheeseman was also in possession of a second gun that officers were not aware of at the time.

As they parked in the sally port of the jail, Archuleta opened the door to remove Cheeseman out of the vehicle. The suspect brandished the previously hidden gun with his hands cuffed behind his back and fired four shots at the officer. One of the shots penetrated Archuleta’s neck. The officer received medical treatment at a hospital and was released the next day. Schmidt shot Cheeseman multiple times to end the attack, according to police.

Cheeseman’s wife told KDVR News that he’s “paralyzed from the neck down and is not breathing on his own.” Cheeseman is expected to be charged with attempted murder of a peace officer and possession of a weapon by a previous offender.

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