The Denver Police Department on Thursday released body cam footage revealing what led to four officers shooting and killing a man brandishing a gun behind a school last month.

At around 6:30 p.m. March 20, Denver police responded to the alley behind Annunciation Catholic School in the 3500 block of North Humboldt Street in the Cole neighborhood, according to Police Chief Ron Thomas.

At the time, police received multiple calls of a man possibly armed with knife and a handgun in the alley behind the school.

Upon arrival, officers found a cardboard fort set up in the alley. Officers pulled the cardboard away, revealing a man brandishing a gun, according to the body cam footage and Thomas, who provided information at a Thursday news conference.

Following several commands to drop his weapon, four officers shot a combined 16 rounds at the man, who was struck multiple times, according to Thomas.

Body cam video shows officers immediately placing handcuffs on the man, which Thomas said isn’t typical police protocol after a shooting. 

The man was transported to the hospital, where he later died around 10 p.m., according to Thomas.

The coroner’s office identified the man as Jose Medina, 57, who police discovered was holding a replica handgun that exploded when officers shot it out of his hands.

At a news conference Thursday, Thomas said the release of body cam footage was delayed out of respect to the family.

“It’s an unfortunate situation,” Thomas said. “No officer wants to take a life.”

He added, “You could see the effort that they went through to make sure that he complied, dropped that weapon. They only responded with ultimately deadly force because he moved that weapon in their direction and put them in fear of their life.”

The police chief noted Medina was either homeless or transient, that he is known around the community and this wasn’t the first time police had encountered him.

Thomas told The Denver Gazette that Medina has had a record with DPD since 2005. 

“His housing status has not always been known,” Thomas said. “We’re not aware of where else he may have been residing. My belief is that officers have probably engaged him in the past and probably tried to connect him to services understanding that he was houseless.”

None of the officers involved had ever opened fire with their weapons or were part of a shooting before, according to DPD Major Crimes Division Commander Matt Clark.

The police department will continue to conduct a multi-agency investigation along with members of the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and Colorado State Patrol, Thomas said, and their findings will be presented to the Denver District Attorney’s Office for review.

Anyone with information is asked to contact metro Denver Crime Stoppers at (720) 913-7867.