DEWEESE JUSTICE

Wilford Deweese – Wrongful Death by Police

Mr. Wilford Deweese

Wilford Deweese was shot 22 times by El Paso County Sheriff Department officers and Manitou Springs Police Department officers in April 2022. The investigating Colorado Springs Police Department, the local District Attorney, as well as the El Paso County Sheriff, have repeatedly claimed that law enforcement officers only fired their weapons after Mr. Deweese fired at both the K9 AND officers. But as the following video and document clearly show that is not the truth. Those agencies had both the bystander video and officer statement showing that Wilford was shot by them as he pulled his gun from his pocket to defend himself against the attacking dog, as he said he would if it attacked him. He was not an imminent threat or flight risk, he was standing there without any weapon in his hand, and was rushed and killed simply because they grew impatient. And tragically just as a less than lethal option was arriving on scene, which the involved officers were aware of. As the video shows, Wilford did fire downward at the dog once they began firing at him, then wildly as he was being riddled by 22 of those roughly 40-50 shots fired at him. Not only did he not fire at officers 1st as claimed, there is no evidence that he ever fired intentionally at officers, even if some of those random/reflexive shots as he was falling and being spun around by those 22 shots were in their general direction. Clearly the D.A., the Sheriff, and the CSPD all must believe the officers were not justified in shooting Wilford for pulling his weapon to protect himself from that unnecessary K9 attack, otherwise they would not feel the need to lie about, and cover up, what actually happened. And despite frequent claims to the contrary, precedent clearly shows that K9’s are not the equivalent of human officers, and believing that one is about to be shot at, or even shot, does not justify use of deadly force. Even the recently passed “Jinx’s Law”, named after the K9 recklessly sent to attack Wilford, shows that actually shooting a K9 “officer” is a low level felony, nowhere near comparable to a human murder/attempted murder, and doesn’t justify use of deadly force.

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 9, 2025 | 4:45 pm

                    Contact:         Raymond K. Bryant, Esq.

                                             Luke W. McConnell, Esq.

Civil Rights Litigation Group, LLP

1543 Champa Street, Suite 400

Denver, CO 80202 Phone: (720) 515-6165

www.rightslitigation.com

Lawsuit Filed Regarding Officer Involved Shooting

Officers from the El Paso County Sheriff’s Department and Manitou Springs Police

Department Accused of Killing Florida Man 

MANITOU SPRINGS, COLO. (APR 9, 2024) – Four police officers, Ronnie Hancock, Daniel Lebaron, Levi Hoover, and Jeffrey Schuelke, have been sued for excessive force related to the killing of Wilford Deweese, a CPA visiting Manitou Springs on his way back to Florida.

On April 11, 2022, officers were called to the scene in central Manitou Sprints about a reported incident involving Mr. Deweese at a local bar. When police arrived, Mr. Deweese was confronted by officers outside in a central part of town. It has been widely reported by police and the press that during their encounter, Mr. Deweese fired without provocation at a police dog and also at police officers, which forced police to fire and kill Mr. Deweese. But nothing could be further from the truth.

Instead, the evidence demonstrates that police first provoked violence against a peaceful and non-threatening Mr. Deweese by sending a canine to attack him when he posed no threat to anyone and was simply too afraid to affirmatively walk 20 yards toward a vicious barking dog and a dangerous-looking firing squad of officers pointing their guns at him. Only after the canine was sent in to attack, and was in the process of attacking

Mr. Deweese, did Mr. Deweese take out a firearm from his pocket and shoot downward and away from the officers at the canine in self-defense. He never aimed his gun at the officers or threatened to do so. 

After the officers saw Mr. Deweese aim his weapon at the canine (but not at them), they opened fired with a barrage of 40-50 shots that hit Mr. Deweese 22 times killing him on scene. The shooting was plainly unconstitutional as the officers created their own feeling of danger by sending the canine to attack Mr. Deweese when they had no justification to do so, which caused Mr. Deweese to act in self-defense by attempting to stop the canine. None of the officers were actually in danger at any time.

At the time of the canine attack, Mr. Deweese was standing perfectly still, with his hands visible, talking on a cell phone, trying to reach an attorney. He had remained stationary and non-threatening for approximately 20 minutes while police officers from two different agencies surrounded and pointed their firearms at him. He did not verbally or physically threaten any of the officers in any way. Nor did he attempt to resist or flee from any purported arrest. In fact, he had nowhere to flee as the officers had surrounded him on a narrow path. He merely remained idle, talking on the phone, which the officers could see and identify. Mr. Deweese responded to the officers’ questions and even showed them that he had nothing in his hands or waistband that would appear threatening to them. But police wanted Mr. Deweese to walk out to them. 

After approximately 20 minutes of waiting for him to come out as demanded, the officers simply got tired of waiting and sent the canine to attack while they “rushed” in after the dog with only firearms drawn. The officers created an unreasonable danger for Mr. Deweese that could have only ended one way: a violent assault. Mr. Deweese died shortly after the shooting.

The officers had multiple non-lethal means they could have used. Additionally, the officers were trained not to use canine force once a suspect had been located, did not present an immediate danger, and was not fleeing. The officers’ actions were not only against department policy but were wholly unnecessary and reached a quantum of force above and beyond that reasonably necessary under the circumstances. 

Video of the incident can be found online:  h#ps://youtu.be/y3JJSmd_Ufc

Viewer Discretion Advised – Violent and Disturbing Video