The Denver man who was shot dead by police on Monday after stealing a cop car and pointing a rifle at officers has been identified as 26 year-old Adam Martinez, according to a news release from the Denver Office of the Medical Examiner.
An autopsy ruled that Martinez, who was pronounced dead on the scene, died of multiple gunshot wounds, the release said. His death was ruled a homicide.
At approximately 1:53 p.m. Monday, police responded to an attempted carjacking at the Car Wash USA Express in Denver, Lt. Matt Clark said during a Tuesday news conference. Martinez used a knife to try to steal a car from a man who was vacuuming his vehicle. Martinez failed to steal the car and left the victim uninjured.
When officers found Martinez minutes later, they attempted to stop him, even ineffectively using a Taser. About five minutes after police first tried to stop Martinez, he entered an open and running police car. An officer left the car open when trying to stop Martinez on foot and left his semi-automatic rifle in the car, unloaded.
When Martinez pointed the rifle at officers, they shot and killed him.
The rifle should have been secured on a rack in the car or locked in the trunk,Clark said. And though it was unloaded, ammunition was in the car. The officer could face administrative discipline for not securing the weapon.
