The city of Denver will pay yet another excessive force settlement over alleged Denver Police Department misconduct.
This complaint describes a May 2024 incident where an officer allegedly shot at two Kansans while pulling them over before arresting them “violently.” The officers were “wildly reckless” and disregarded the lives and constitutional rights of the individuals, according to a complaint.
The complaint, filed in January 2025, stated the incident demonstrated “a shockingly violent, reckless, and excessive display of unconstitutional police violence.”
The police department, whose conduct has led to more than $30 million in settlements and claims since 2025, declined to comment on the case. So did the city attorney’s office.
Denver City Council approved the settlement on Monday night, shortly after celebrating Denver Police and Sheriff Appreciation Week.
Here’s what the complaint alleges:
Jessica Sjostrom and Rex Hickman’s day started normally on May 26, 2024, as they drove around town.
“Little did they know that by the end of the day they would have handguns pointed at them, be shot at by a Denver Police Officer, and be dragged out of their car and violently handcuffed, arrested, searched, and injured, all for the crime of driving in a reddish car while stopped at a stop light at 6’oclock in the afternoon,” the complaint stated.
Sjostrom and Hickman were driving in their maroon Mazda with a Kansas license plate. Police, looking for a suspect who had been shooting at people, mistook their car for a red Saturn with a Colorado license plate and pulled them over, conducting a “felony traffic stop.”
Officers pointed their guns at Sjostrom and Hickman, who stayed put.
The complaint alleges Officer Kirk Malone shot his handgun at the suspects. The bullet missed people and hit what the complaint describes as “a completely innocent patio umbrella.”
The suspects were pulled “violently” out of their car, handcuffed and unlawfully arrested, according to the complaint. Officers searched their car, allegedly violating their right to not be subject to unreasonable searches.
The plaintiffs allege that multiple other officers, who were aware that the car was not the one associated with the crime, stood by and allowed the arrest to take place.
The complaint accused DPD of violating Sjostrom and Hickman’s constitutional rights, as well as causing physical injuries and emotional distress.
Settlements end a case without a verdict, and are often used by the city as a cost-saving tool to avoid expensive litigation.
