Black man who killed in self-defense fights to make wrongful prosecution claims stick

When an I-25 roadside incident turned deadly, Denver prosecutors pursued murder charges against Stephan Long, even though he told responding officers he had acted in self-defense.DENVER (CN) — A Black man who shot and killed the two white men who attacked him on an I-25 exit ramp in Denver told a federal judge Wednesday that responding officers’ initial report led prosecutors to wrongfully pursue double murder charges against him for more than a year.“There is no question that without self-defense, your client shot and killed people, so there’s probable cause,” said Chief U.S. District Judge Daniel Domenico. “But at some point in the investigation it becomes clear there is no probable cause.”On June 13, 2023, 25-year-old Stephan Long was driving on I-25 with his wife, newborn and toddler trailing in the car behind him. After being cut off on the exit ramp, Long said a man wearing black gloves blocked him in and attacked him through his car window.Claiming he feared for his life and the safety of his family, Long shot and killed the attacker. Immediately after, a second assailant, also wearing black gloves, reached for Long’s keys and doorhandle as he tried to drive away. Long shot the second assailant after he tried to pull him out of his car.Blake Lucas, 21, and his 22-year-old brother Damon, both died from gunshot wounds.Denver Police officers investigated it as a road rage incident and took Long into custody for questioning.After Officer Daniel Meadows and Detective Adam Lucero questioned him without fully informing him of his Miranda rights, Long argues they generated a faulty probable cause statement that led the Second Judicial District Attorney’s Office to pursue double murder charges, even though he had acted in self-defense.After 14 months, and under pressure from the Denver City Council, the district attorney ultimately dropped the charges against Long. Claiming he was selectively prosecuted due to his race, Long sued Meadow and Lucero along with the city and county of Denver in 2025.Long says the Denver Police Department pursued the murder charges for the death of two white men due to a “double-standard applied to Black men who dare to defend themselves from attack in Denver.”“Fundamentally this case is about the fact the Stephen Long was a young Black man,” argued civil rights attorney Zachary Warren, who is white. “I drove right by the intersection on my way to court today, and God forbid my wife and daughter were in the car behind me and the same thing happened, and I responded the way Mr. Long did — there is no universe where I would be charged the same way.”Warren, who practices with Highlands Law in Denver, argued the prosecution against Long stemmed from a faulty probable cause statement that omitted key details, like the fact that Long’s children were in a car behind him and that his assailant had yelled at his wife’s car before attacking him.Citing qualified immunity, the officers asked the court to dismiss the case.“What we’re talking about is whether there is a substantial likelihood that a crime was committed,” argued attorney DJ Goldfarb, who represents Meadows.“The court is at the advantage of being able to look at the probable cause statement, but the court needs to look at the facts that were available to the officers on that day,” said Goldfarb, who practices with Berg Hill in Boulder.Attorney Bernard Woessner, of Nathan Dumm in Denver, represented Lucero at Wednesday’s hearing.Domenico questioned whether Long should pursue litigation against the Second Judicial District Attorney’s Office instead of the responding officers.“It feels a bit to me like you’re trying to find a way to sue the people who don’t have absolute immunity, when really your complaint is against the people who do,” the Donald Trump appointee said to Warren.Warren countered that the initial framing of the investigation led his client to be subjected to wrongful prosecution.Ultimately, Domenico directed Warren to file an amended complaint within three weeks “to help the court focus on what is actually at issue in particular, what the defendants are alleged to have done, and what they can be held accountable for.”While Domenico orally dismissed the officers’ pending motions to dismiss as moot, he did not indicate how he would evaluate the anticipated renewal of their request to dismiss the case.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads