In the early morning hours of April 1, 2012, a confrontation on the streets of Denver tragically culminated in the death of 25-year-old Jimma Reat. A Black man and a refugee from what is now South Sudan, Reat had sought safety in the United States after escaping his native country with his family. On that fateful morning, he was a passenger in a car with his two brothers and another friend near 10th Avenue and Sheridan Boulevard when an altercation erupted with individuals in another vehicle,
reported to be a red Jeep. The occupants of the Jeep, believed to be as many as four people, began shouting racial slurs and throwing bottles at their car, shattering a window.
Fearing for their lives, Reat and his companions fled the scene, driving into the neighboring city of Wheat Ridge, and called 911 to report the attack. In a move that would later draw significant scrutiny and controversy, the Denver 911 operator, Juan Jesus Rodriguez, instructed them to return to Denver to file a police report. Heeding this advice, they drove back to the vicinity of 29th Avenue and Sheridan Boulevard to await the arrival of law enforcement.
Tragically, before police could arrive, the red Jeep reappeared. Shots were fired from the suspect's vehicle, and Jimma Reat was struck. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital shortly after 5 a.m. The 911 operator, Juan Jesus Rodriguez, was subsequently fired for his role in directing Reat and his friends back into a dangerous situation. Reat's family later filed a lawsuit against the city of Denver and the operator.
Despite the public attention and the legal proceedings that followed, no arrests have ever been made in connection with the murder of Jimma Reat. The individuals in the red Jeep who were responsible for his death have never been identified or apprehended, and the case remains an unsolved homicide. The community continues to await justice for a young man who had escaped conflict in his homeland only to have his life senselessly taken on the streets of Denver.
