A jury awarded $19.75 million on Friday to six people who were hit by police gunfire as bystanders to an officer-involved shooting in 2022 on a busy Lower Downtown street.

Lawyers filed civil rights lawsuits on behalf of the people who were hit by stray gunfire.

They sued Brandon Ramos, a former Denver police officer who acknowledged that he shot into the crowd when he saw a suspect begin to pull a gun.

The jury award will be divided between the plaintiffs — Yekalo Weldehiwet, Bailey Alexander, Willis Small IV, Mark Bess, Angelica Rey and Ayla Bersagel. The city generally pays for settlements like these.

Ramos took a plea deal in 2024 after being charged criminally for firing into a crowd. He was convicted of third-degree assault and sentenced to 18 months of probation. He also had his

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