Man Walks Out Of Quality In, Ambushes Cop Parked In Front With 18 Shots, Suspect Gets Erased From Society By Cop

The shooting happened around 4 a.m. in the 2600 block of Zuni Street outside of a Quality Inn. DPD said an unprovoked man walked out of the hotel directly towards a marked patrol car that had arrived a few minutes earlier and shot an officer sitting in the driver seat through the passenger window multiple times.

The officer exited the patrol car and moved to the back while returning fire, hitting the suspect multiple times, according to DPD. The officer then called for backup, who took the suspect into custody and transported him to Denver Health.

The suspect was identified as 35-year-old Nicholas Lendrum. DPD said investigators determined he fired 18 gunshots from a Glock 9 mm handgun and was carrying a magazine with an additional 16 rounds. He was also carrying a loaded .38-caliber revolver that was not fired during the incident. Investigators are still working to determine if Lendrum was the owner of the guns.

Lendrum died from multiple gunshot wounds after being transported. The officer was also taken to the hospital after three gunshots hit his bulletproof vest but did not penetrate his body. He suffered pain and significant bruising to the areas where the gunshots hit his vest, and he has since been released from the hospital.

Investigators determined Lendrum drove to the hotel and parked on the west side of the building just after 4 a.m., DPD said. After remaining near his vehicle for several minutes, Lendrum walked past the patrol car without any interaction with the officer and into the hotel.

After asking a clerk about prices to rent a room, and determining it was too expensive, Lendrum walked out of the hotel, which was when the shooting happened, according to DPD.

DPD said investigators have interviewed witnesses and people who knew Lendrum, but have not been able to determine a possible motive for the shooting.