In the early hours of September 7, 2020, in southeast Denver, 18-year-old Jalonte Jones was shot. Responding to a call of shots fired at the Elm on Panorama apartments on East Harvard Avenue, Denver police officers found Jones lying in the parking lot, bleeding profusely from a gunshot wound to his leg.
What unfolded next became a subject of intense scrutiny and controversy.
Body camera footage from the scene captured a distressing interaction between the dying teenager and the first responding officers. As Jones lay on the ground, audibly stating, 'I'm dying,' one of the officers, Dewayne Rodgers, responded by asking him questions about the incident instead of providing immediate medical assistance. For more than ten minutes, as Jones's condition deteriorated, no first aid was administered by the officers on the scene. Rodgers would later tell investigators he was hesitant to touch Jones for fear of exacerbating his injury, as he could not locate the exact position of the wound due to the amount of blood. By the time paramedics arrived, approximately 14 minutes after Officer Rodgers, Jalonte Jones had no pulse. He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The aftermath of Jones's death brought significant consequences for the officers involved and the city of Denver. An internal investigation by the Denver Police Department raised concerns about the failure of the officers to render aid. This investigation ultimately led to the termination of Officer Dewayne Rodgers, a 16-year veteran of the force. Another officer who was present at the scene, David Clough, resigned before the conclusion of the internal investigation. In June 2023, the Denver City Council approved a $450,000 settlement with the estate of Jalonte Jones.
Separate from the investigation into the officers' conduct, an arrest was made in connection with the shooting itself. The day after the incident, Denver police arrested 24-year-old DeAndre Horton. Horton later pleaded guilty to first-degree assault with extreme indifference and was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in the death of Jalonte Jones.
