Colorado officer suspended one week for pulling gun on Indian American doctor in his own parking lot

The Aurora, Colo., Police Department has suspended an officer who pulled his gun on an Indian American doctor who was parking at his own workplace.

Police Chief Vanessa Wilson said Tuesday that Officer Justin Henderson would be suspended without pay for 40 hours and required to attend de-escalation training, according to Sentinel Colorado.

In a cellphone video taken by P.J. Parmar on March 1, Parmar accuses Henderson of trespassing at Mango House, a resource center for refugees. An argument ensues when Henderson appears skeptical that Parmar actually owns the property, and holds what appears to be a pistol with an attached flashlight.

“[Henderson] approached me, pointed his gun point blank at my head, and repeatedly demanded for me to prove that it is my property,” Parmar wrote shortly after the incident in a medium post. “As if a dark skin person doesn’t own commercial buildings in the ‘hood, or tend to them on Sunday evening.”

Parmar told the newspaper he does not believe Henderson’s discipline is sufficient.

“It’s not enough,” he told the paper in an email. “That would never fly in the business world — I’ve terminated employees for less. The police pretty much have free rein to do whatever they want.”

An attorney for Parmar, David Lane, said his client intends to file a federal lawsuit against Aurora over the incident.

Lane said in June that under existing law, officers are only permitted to draw a gun on a suspect if they have reasonable fear for their lives.

“That force may only be used if the officer is in reasonable fear for his or her life,” Lane told the newspaper. “Dr. Parmar was merely loading boxes into his vehicle on his own property when an Aurora officer approached him with a drawn gun.”

The incident comes as the August 2019 death of Elijah McClain has already put the Aurora Police Department in the spotlight. McClain, a 23-year-old Black massage therapist, was restrained by officers and injected with ketamine by paramedics. The injection led to cardiac arrest and McClain was removed from life support less than a week afterward.