The Denver District Attorney announced Thursday that a Denver police officer who fatally shot a man brandishing a BB gun in April used justifiable deadly force.
The shooting happened just before 5 p.m. on April 7 in the 1000 block of South Quitman Street. Police responded after a 911 call was placed, reporting a man pointing a firearm at people.
When officers arrived, they saw a man, later identified as Joseph Frank Martinez, 58, armed with what appeared to be a rifle in a backyard. For more than an hour, Martinez engaged in a standoff with police, who attempted to convince him to put down the gun and surrender, but Martinez refused…