Colorado sheriff’s deputy, 29, who’s accused of shooting man, 22 dead after he called 911 for help
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A Colorado sheriff’s deputy has been accused of ‘murdering’ a man who called 911 for help moving his car after shooting him five times in a lengthy standoff.
Andrew Buen, 29, shot and killed Christian Glass, 22, after he pulled out a knife and refused to get out of his vehicle on June 11 in Denver, Colorado.
The officer, who the DailyMail.com is exclusively picturing, can be heard in his bodycam footage telling Glass not to throw his knives out of the vehicle.
Christian Glass, 22, had even tried to make heart-shaped signals for help when he was tasered and shot with bean bags before being killed.
It is unclear how long Buen has been a deputy for Clear Creek County Sheriff’s department for, but footage shows him smashing the window of Glass’ vehicle.
Shortly after the fatal incident, Buen can be heard admitting shooting Glass, telling a fellow officer: ‘He started screaming verbal threats that he was going to kill us all.
‘I switched to lethal cover, again with the threats and he went after another officer. When he went after him that’s when I fired.’
Buen was back on patrol a few days later, and has not been suspended pending the ongoing investigation.
It is currently unclear if Buen will ultimately face charges, but Glass’s parents have said their son’s death was murder.
Andrew Buen, 29, shot and killed Christian Glass, 22, after he pulled out a knife and refused to get out of his vehicle on June 11 in Denver, Colorado
It is unclear how long Buen has been a deputy for Clear Creek County Sheriff’s department for, but footage shows him smashing the window of Glass’ vehicle and firing off a taser before the fatal shooting
Christian Glass, 22, had tried to make heart-shaped signals for help when he was tasered and shot by officers five times in Denver, Colorado
An autopsy report released on Tuesday show Glass was struck five time by bullets and had superficial knife wounds where he stabbed himself
Clear Creek County Sheriff’s office said that he was shot on June 11 in Denver, Colorado, after becoming ‘argumentative and uncooperative’ with officers.
According to his parents, Sally and Simon Glass, Deputy Andrew Buen was the one who fired the fatal shots, with the name coming from prosecutors.
Sally, from Kent and Simon, from New Zealand, have both demanded that the sheriff take the incident seriously, branding their son’s death as ‘murder’.
They said their son took Ritalin for his ADHD, which may have explained the presence of amphetamines in his system.
Officers became engaged with Glass after he called for help after crashing his car on a rural road, sparking a one hour stand off between the driver and cops.
Another deputy called to the scene to investigate the homicide muted their body camera video during most of his investigation.
An autopsy report released on Tuesday show he was struck five time by bullets and had superficial knife wounds where he stabbed himself.
He also had trace amounts of alcohol, cannabis and amphetamine in his system, with his parents explaining that his ADHA medication, Ritalin, can also show up as an amphetamine.
His parents, Sally and Simon Glass (left), say that their son was ‘not aggressive’ and say that his death was ‘murder’
Shortly after the fatal incident, Buen can be heard admitting shooting Glass, telling a fellow officer: ‘He started screaming verbal threats that he was going to kill us all
Simon and Sally Glass are demanding accountability for their son’s death saying that the officers who shot him should be sacked
Glass, 22, (pictured) was shot after a one-hour stand off where he refused to get out of his car while holding a knife
Lawyers for the Glass family, Qusair Mohamedbhai and Siddhartha Rathod, said that Buen was back on patrol within days of the incident.
His father said that his son had ‘trusted’ that the police would come and help him, adding: ‘Instead they attacked and killed him.
‘The killer struck Christian five times to make sure’.
Fifth Judicial District Attorney Heidi McCollum said in a statement Tuesday that her office continues to investigate the shooting.
She will decide whether the officers involved should face criminal charges, or she can convene a grand jury to make that decision.
McCollum said: ‘While we understand that public sentiment may desire this process to move at a more rapid pace, it is not in the interests of justice and fairness to the family of the victim for this matter to be rushed to a conclusion.’
Her office has been in contact with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Colorado, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the FBI Denver Division regarding this case.
Glass said he was scared to get out of his car as police surrounded him, with one officer standing on the hood of his car (pictured) as others tried to get him to exit the vehicle
Once Glass grabbed a knife, the officers fired bean bag rounds and tased him. After stabbing himself and swinging wildly, Buen fired five shots into the car
The officers then broke through the window and pulled a dying Glass from the vehicle
Deborah Takahara, spokeswoman for the Colorado U.S. Attorney’s Office, added: ‘The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, and the FBI Denver Division are aware of the shooting in Silver Plume.
‘If the information reveals potential violations of federal criminal statutes, the Justice Department will take the appropriate action.’
Glass had been living in Boulder with a roommate and was taking computer coding classes. He had no prior criminal record.
Body cam footage shows the moment officers approached Glass, who called for help in getting his car out of a bush.
When police arrived, Glass refused to get out of his car, saying he was scared as officers yelled at him to exit the vehicle.
‘Please, push me out, drag me out, I’ll follow you to a police station,’ Glass told the officers. ‘I’m so scared.’
Glass refused to get out of his car for more than an hour, before pulling out a knife, leading police to fire bean bag rounds and tase Glass before firing into the car.
Sally called the police bullies, with both parents left heartbroken after hearing their son say ‘I’m so scared’ to officers
Officers pulled Glass from the car as he was unresponsive following the shooting where he also stabbed himself
Officers repeatedly yelled at him to drop the knife, and pleaded with the 22-year-old to get out of the car and save himself
At one point, he also can be seen praying with folded hands and saying, ‘Dear Lord, please, don’t let them break the window.’
When the officers did break the window, Glass seemed to panic and grabbed a knife.
Police then shot Glass with bean bag rounds and shocked him with a stun gun before the young man twisted in his seat and thrust a knife toward an officer, the footage showed.
Then one officer fired his gun, hitting Glass. The recordings then show Glass stabbing himself as police yelled at him to stop.
‘You can save yourself,’ one of the officers shouts. ‘You can still save yourself!’
Glass had no history of mental illness, with a family lawyer saying they would ‘not ever know’ the reason behind his abnormal behavior.
Simon condemned the action police took when responding to his son’s call and their failure to calm him down and de-escalate the situation.
Attorneys Qusair Mohamedbhai, (left) and Siddhartha Rathod (right) released an autopsy report that found that Glass died of gunshot wounds
As officers broke the window in the car, Glass grabbed a knife and injured himself
Glass’ autopsy shows five gunshots struck his chest, lungs, liver, spine and kidneys
In a press conference on Tuesday he said: ‘Christian’s killing is a stain on Clear Creek County and on Colorado.
‘It was a murder by a Colorado official that cannot stand. It is not right.’
His mother Sally described the police as bullies and called on the county to weed them out and replace them with kinder officers.
She added: ‘You know, an aggressive bully is always going to be an aggressive bully, and I don’t know how you can train that characteristic out.
‘Pay more, elevate the stages of the profession by getting rid of [them] and hire people with kind hearts and a moral compass,’
The Clear Creek County Sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.
The shooting comes amid a national outcry for police reforms focused on crisis intervention, de-escalation and alternative policing programs.
In Denver and New York, behavioral health specialists are sent to 911 callers facing crises that police may not be trained to address or could even exacerbate.
Police haven’t said if any behavioral health specialists were called for Glass.