DENVER — Two Denver Police officers were shot less than 16 hours apart Wednesday, and both of them were apparently saved by their bulletproof vests – making for a difficult week for Sgt. Bobby Waidler, who heads DPD's resiliency and wellness program.
"Yeah, it's been overwhelming," Waidler said.
Overwhelming and, according to Waidler, unprecedented in his 23-year career.
"That was really unnerving and shocking for a lot of our department," he said.
The first shooting happened around 4 a.m. Wednesday at Speer Boulevard and Zuni Street. Police said Nicholas Lendrum walked out of a hotel and opened fire on an officer parked in his patrol car. The officer was hit three times in the vest. Despite that, he returned fire, hitting and killing Lendrum.
Around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, there was a shootout in the area of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Cherry Street after an officer ran after an armed suspect. That officer was hit once in his vest, police said.
"We very easily could have had two separate funerals," Waidler said.
The two shootings, the two close calls, have had a profound effect on the entire department, Waidler said. In the past two days, Waidler has spoken with dozens of officers who have reached out to talk.
"Feeling so vulnerable, I think that's probably one of the biggest emotions or thoughts or feelings that most were having," Waidler said.
He added that he has also spoken with the two officers who were shot. Both are now out of the hospital. They're doing well, though experiencing a wide range of emotions, Waidler said.
"They're upset, they're scared, they're wounded, they're thinking about just how close they were to being killed," he said.
Both officers are on modified duty, which is routine procedure following a police shooting. They were the first two Denver officers shot this year. There were two in all of last year.
The suspect from the second shooting on Wednesday is still hospitalized, but police said he is expected to survive.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Investigations & Crime