Denver police on Tuesday released body‑worn camera footage and new details about an officer‑involved shooting that left a man hospitalized after officers say he charged at them with a large kitchen knife. What started as repeated neighborhood complaints, police say, ended when an officer opened fire during a foot chase in north Denver.
According to CBS Colorado, the man has been identified as 26‑year‑old Wilson Guerra Bravo, who is charged with criminal attempt to commit homicide. Police say Bravo was carrying a roughly 10‑inch kitchen knife and that an officer fired six shots after Bravo allegedly turned and tried to attack at the intersection of 50th Avenue and Washington Street. Bravo remains hospitalized, and police have not released details on the extent of his injuries.
Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas told reporters he “believes the officer responded appropriately,” while emphasizing that the Denver District Attorney will review the case and decide whether the use of force was lawful. Officials said during the briefing that the officer who fired the shots has been with DPD since 2024 and had not previously been involved in any shootings.
What the footage shows
According to police accounts, the video shows officers repeatedly ordering the man to drop the knife and briefly losing sight of him as he moved behind a building during the chase. When the officer rounded the corner, the department says the suspect lunged with the knife. Officers can be heard repeatedly warning that he could be shot before rounds were fired, as reported by The Denver Gazette.
Neighbors and prior calls
Police told investigators they had received multiple calls in the days leading up to the shooting about the same man returning to a residence and that officers had previously contacted him and warned him not to come back. The department said it is releasing the footage under its officer‑involved shooting protocol in an effort to provide transparency about what happened. Local outlets have noted similar releases in other recent DPD cases; Denver7 has covered comparable bodycam drops earlier this summer.
What happens next
The shooting will proceed through Denver's standard officer‑involved shooting process and then be forwarded to the Denver District Attorney’s Office for legal review. That office typically publishes a decision letter explaining whether criminal charges are warranted. For examples of how past reviews have been handled in other cases, the Denver District Attorney’s Office provides decision letters and related materials on the Denver DA's website.
Community questions remain
Bodycam releases like this routinely prompt close public scrutiny over whether officers used de‑escalation tactics or whether force might have been avoided altogether. Residents in the area say they want answers about why the man kept returning to the same property despite prior police contact. Investigators say the case remains active, and detectives are asking anyone with information to contact the department. Officials have not released further medical details about the suspect.
