The knife-wielding individual who was fatally shot by Denver police on June 16 was a biological man who identified as a woman, police have confirmed.
The fatal incident occurred as officers responded to reports of a knife-wielding individual standing in an intersection of downtown Denver, Colorado.
Officers confronted the man — who was originally reported to be a woman — asking him to drop the knife. However, he refused to do so and reportedly advanced aggressively toward the officers, despite them first using non-lethal means — tasering — to stop him.
The man proceeded to approach the officers, prompting them to open fire. Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas said at the time, “My belief is that the officers perceived a significant threat and responded to that threat.”
The individual, now deceased, has been identified as 52-year-old Miguel Tapia, and the police chief has confirmed that he was transgender.
“Certainly we have discovered that the person was transgender and there was a belief that the person was houseless,” he confirmed.
“But that did not factor into our decision. I mean, what factored into our decision was the person had a knife and was moving aggressively towards the officers. They tried — I think in vain — to stop them through less lethal means and then had to transition to lethal option when that was not when that didn’t work,” he added.
The investigation is ongoing.
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Spencer Lindquist / Breitbart News
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