A week after Glendale police shot dead a man in a pickup truck scant information has been released about the shooting and an attorney representing the dead man’s family is seeking disclosure and transparency.
“We are simply asking for investigators to give us transparency in this case,” said Matthew A. Haltzman, a Fort Collins attorney. “We want to know what the facts are.”
The Denver Police Department, Denver District Attorney’s Office, and Aurora and Glendale police are investigating the death of 36-year-old John Pacheaco Jr., who was shot multiple times on Oct. 31 when officers, with weapons drawn, approached his truck, which was stopped in traffic on Colorado Boulevard.
Haltzman, who represents Jamie Fowler, Pacheaco’s mother, said that he’s reached out to investigators but they’ve been unresponsive.
Fowler, who lives in Utah, talked with police when they called to inform her about his death and she’s also talked with a victim’s advocate from the Denver DA’s office, according to Haltzman.
“She’s asked for information in the case…What is the reason why multiple rounds were fired into my son’s windshield,” Haltzman said. “The answer has not been provided.”
Denver police gave about a three-minute news conference near the scene of the shooting a short time after it happened. At that time, police did not say whether Pacheaco was armed and there was no explanation about why officers opened fire with heavy nearby traffic on the Boulevard.
“A week has past and there’s been nothing other than an impromptu press conference,” Haltzman said. “They have failed in providing any updates or additional information.”
Haltzman said he’s preparing a notice of intent to file a lawsuit over the shooting. In the meantime, he believes investigators should be more forthcoming with the public.
“We think information should be disclosed regardless of whether a lawsuit is filed,” Haltzman said. “Our client died by a firing squad — What is the reason for that?”