The Denver PD fired officer Robert Fitzgibbons last month over an incident that took place last July. Let no one say the city or DPD rushed to judgement on this one. The problem? Fitzgibbons fired his Smith & Wesson rifle using .223 tracer rounds he bought himself rather than ammo issues by the force. But wait. There’s more…
It all started when Sorl Shead began firing a pistol in the air outside a club where other fights had broken out earlier. Denver beat officers and SWATties were already in the area because of the trouble. When Shead lowered the pistol and pointed it toward some of the officers, they responded as you’d expect.
Officer John Schledwitz and Fitzgibbons both shot at Shead. Schledwitz fired three .45s from his Glock. Fitzgibbons fired five rounds from his rifle. Shead must have been as fast as Neo because he was untouched by any projectile.
Unfortunately Diamond Demmer, who was walking to her car, was hit by three bullet fragments from Fitzgibbons’s rounds. Thankfully, her wounds were not life-threatening.
Among the five violations cited by the manger (sic) of safety as reasons for letting Fitzgibbons go, were prejudicial conduct, violating department rules and mayor executive orders as they pertain to ammunition.
Fitzgibbons’s union rep indicates they’ll be appealing the dismissal.