EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. — Monday marks one year since Colorado Springs Police officers shot and killed 19-year-old De’Von Malik Bailey.
His death sparked protests around the city.
A rally calling for justice in Bailey’s death began Monday at 5 p.m. Demonstrators met at the Pulpit Rock Trail Head and moved from there into a nearby neighborhood.
Protesters say the officer who pulled the trigger lived in that neighborhood.
“It’s my neighborhood. We do not, we will not, I am confident I speak for several people that we will not tolerate a murderer. This could have been one of my family, this could have been one of your family. We are against police brutality is all it forms,” said Nola Q.
A woman, who didn’t want to share her name, brought her kids to the rally to share the message with them.
“Everybody in our community needs to be protected and feel safe and that not the case now, people wouldn’t be in the streets if they felt this way,” said the woman. “Because until everybody children are safe nobody’s children are safe.”
There were a few confrontations with drivers, but the protest remained peaceful.
Those marching calling on allies to make a stand.
“Our lives matter and its time blue lives start acting like it,” Nola Q.
CSPD sent an official message to homeowners in the area of the 6000 block of Pulpit Rock Drive to shelter in place due to the civil disturbance/protest around 6 p.m. The Shelter-In-Place order for a neighborhood near Pulpit Rock was lifted around 7 p.m.
Timeline of events:
August 3, 2019: The shooting occurred on Saturday at approximately 6:45 p.m., after CSPD officers responded to a call of a personal robbery.
August 6, 2019: The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office identified the man killed in an officer-involved shooting in the 2400 block of East Fountain Blvd. as 19-year-old Devon Malik Bailey. Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers released a statement in response to the shooting.
August 7, 2019: Security footage from a home nearby, obtained by FOX21 News, shows part of the incident, during which 19-year-old Devon Malik Bailey was struck by gunfire.
August 15, 2019: The Colorado Springs Police Department released body camera footage from the shooting. The department redacted the video and published it on Vimeo.
August 22, 2019: Colorado Gov. Jared Polis called for an independent review of the shooting.
October 4, 2019: The investigation into Bailey’s death was referred to a grand jury. This after Bailey’s family called for an independent special prosecutor to investigate the circumstances of the deadly shooting.
November 13, 2019: A grand jury ruling found Colorado Springs Police Officers Sgt. Alan Van’t Land and Officer Blake Evenson were justified in their use of deadly force.
December 2, 2019: The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office released a complete report of search warrants, interviews and autopsy reports connected to shooting. Pictures, maps and interviews and more are included in the 385-page report. The report also included the results of Bailey’s autopsy, which showed the man was shot three times in the back and once in the elbow.
March 27, 2020: The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that it would not pursue criminal charges against the Colorado Springs Police Officers involved in the shooting. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, which reviews shootings by police officers, said it did not find evidence of federal criminal rights violations.
June 4, 2020: De’Von Bailey’s family filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Colorado Springs and the two officers responsible for the fatal shots. The lawsuit names the city of Colorado Springs and the two officers who fired at Bailey as defendants. It alleges police violated Bailey’s constitutional rights and used excessive force. It also claims Bailey’s death was a result of racially biased policing.
