AURORA | A former APD officer who resigned from the department after being charged for allegedly punching a disabled woman during a dispute is facing new charges for shooting a man in the leg during a call on New Year’s Eve.
Douglas Harroun, 33, is facing charges of first-degree assault, a Class 3 felony and second-degree assault, a class 4 felony.
According to an arrest affidavit for Harroun filed June 8, shortly before 11 p.m. Dec. 31 APD responded to a 911 call for a woman who said she was being physically assaulted by a man in a home in the 1200 block of Chambers Road. Harroun and officer Daniel Aguirre arrived at the scene, with now-former Officer Eduardo Landeros responding later as backup.
At the scene, the woman said that the man, Juan Ruiz-Reta, had come upstairs while drunk, broke down the door and pushed her in the chest and grabbed her cell phone and smashed it against the ground. By the time police arrived, he had gone into the basement, the affidavit said. The woman told officers that Ruiz-Reta spoke only Spanish and that she did not believe he had any weapons.
Ruiz-Reta refused commands from the officers to come upstairs, and Harroun and Aguirre radioed for backup and descended into the basement with their guns drawn. There were three men in the basement, the affidavit said. Ruiz-Reta put his hands up and the other two retreated and raised their hands.
Harroun placed Ruiz-Reta into custody, and while he was attempting to handcuff him the two got into a physical altercation that dislodged Harroun’s body camera, the affidavit said. After being handcuffed, Ruiz-Reta was resistant to going up the stairs and struggled with Harroun on the staircase.
While on the staircase, Harroun could be heard from Landeros’ body camera footage telling someone three times to get back, the affidavit said. After the second time, Harroun unholstered his gun and shot one of the other men in the room.
A description of Landeros’ body camera footage said the victim was at the bottom of the stairs with his left hand in or near his pocket, and his right hand visible without any weapons.
“He appears to be walking towards the stairway in a non-aggressive manner,” the affidavit said. “He took an additional two steps towards the stairs as the ‘get back’ commands were being said.”
Ruiz-Reta was taken into custody on a domestic violence charge. The shooting victim was transported to University Hospital, where he was treated for a gunshot wound to his right ankle. According to the affidavit, a doctor who treated the victim describes the injuries as carrying a substantial risk of serious permanent disfigurement and protracted impairment of function.
The incident was investigated by the 18th Judicial District Critical Incident Response Team, which is responsible for conducting an independent investigation anytime there is a use of force incident by a police officer.
In an interview with the lead CIRT detectives, Harroun said that he shot the victim because it looked like he was planning to move up the stairs. He said he could not see the victim’s left hand, and was worried that he had gone into the basement kitchen and grabbed a knife.
He told investigators that he could not use his taser because he was being screamed at and hit by the woman who had made the 911 call, and he was attempting to fend her off with his left hand.
In reviewing body camera footage from the three officers, an investigator with the DA’s office said he did not did not observe the woman attacking Harroun, and that Landeros’ body camera showed that he was standing between her and Harroun at the time of the shooting.
“Your affiant did not observe any aggressive posturing, mannerisms or movements that would justify or authorize Officer Harroun using deadly force” against the victim, the affidavit said.
In a presentation to the District Attorney’s office, the CIRT team determined that Harroun’s shooting was a negligent discharge.
Neither of the other officers was accused in the use of force case.
In an unrelated situation, Landeros was criminally charged in connection with a fatal traffic crash in March and resigned from the department.
On Jan. 11, Harroun was arrested by Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Officers after he and his wife got into an argument with a woman who was walking her dog on the street in front of their apartment complex.
According to an arrest affidavit, Harroun got out of his car to speak with the woman, who he said was blocking the road. After arguing verbally, the affidavit said Harroun got out of his car and punched the woman in the face, knocking her to the ground.
Witnesses said that Harroun then “got on top of her and continued to punch her in the head four to five more times,” according to the affidavit.
Harroun is facing third-degree assault charges in connection with the case, a class 5 felony. He was placed on indefinite suspension without pay, and resigned from APD on Jan. 30.
Harroun was on administrative leave while the Dec. 31 was being investigated at the time of the alleged assault.
Harroun is scheduled to have his next hearing for the Jan. 11 case in Arapahoe County District Court on June 21. No court dates have been scheduled yet in connection with the new charges.