Denver officers will not face charges following fatal 7-Eleven shooting

Four Denver police officers who shot and killed a man robbing a convenient store will not face criminal charges.

Denver District Attorney Beth McCann announced in a decision letter Wednesday that the four officers involved with the shooting of 43-year-old Christopher Cauch on March 1 will not face charges. The officers were "justified based on Colorado law regarding use of force," McCann said in the decision letter to the Denver Police Department.

Editor's Note: This video contains graphic images of a man's death and has strong language. It may be difficult for some people to watch.

A man shot and killed by Denver Police officers this month had carjacked a vehicle that he drove to a 7-Eleven, where he held two employees hostage in a locked office, police said at a news conference Wednesday.

Four officers responded to several 911 calls about 6:10 p.m. March 1 at the convenience store, at West 5th Avenue and Federal Boulevard, said Denver Police Cmdr. Matt Clark.

The man was threatening two employees inside an office behind the sales counter. Officers yelled at the man to open the door. They could see through a small window in the door that the man was threatening one of the employees with a sharp implement, Clark said.

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The four Denver Police Department officers — Shane Sperry, Pablo Carrera, Savannah Vandermiller and Corporal Kevin Antoine — responded to a report of a potential stabbing and robbery at the 7-Eleven at West 5th Avenue and Federal Boulevard at around 6:50 p.m. on March 1, according to a previous press conference by the Denver Police Department.

Cauch entered the store, jumped over the counter and moved an employee into the back room, according to security camera footage. Cauch was holding a sharp metal prong.

The man told the employees that "the police need to shoot me," according to the letter.

After entering the store, the officers found the three men, including Cauch, behind the barricaded door in the back office.

Cauch refused to open the door, threatening to stab Parvinder Singh, an employee at the store, with a sharp object if cops entered.

Sperry yelled for the man to open the door, saying: "Just open the door and lay on the ground, man. This can be resolved really easily," according to the letter.

Singh and Cauch struggled while officers entered the room with a battering ram. Cauch fell into an office chair near the door, continuing to hold on to Singh. Police then fired 36 shots at Cauch, killing him. The hostage was able to get away and was not injured by the gunfire, according to the decision letter.

"The evidence in this case shows that all four officers were acting to defend Mr. Singh from Mr. Cauch's use of unlawful force against him," McCann said in the letter.

"The severity of the threat, coupled with how rapidly the attack was proceeding, meant time was of the essence, and that it was necessary to use a degree of force that was immediately effective," she said.

This story is developing and will be updated.