Fact Check: A mother and her two young children were inside during the raid.

Fact Check: "A mother and her two young children were inside during the raid."

What We Know

In June 2023, a SWAT team mistakenly raided an apartment in Denver, Colorado, believing it to be the residence of a suspect. The family inside, including a mother named Kirsty Shelton and her two young daughters aged 5 and 6, were present during the incident. According to reports, the family was startled by loud banging on their door and was ordered outside at gunpoint by the officers, despite the grandmother informing them that they had the wrong apartment (AP News). Body camera footage confirmed that the officers encountered the two girls in their bedroom during the raid (AP News).

Analysis

The claim that a mother and her two young children were inside during the raid is substantiated by multiple credible sources. The primary source, a report from the Associated Press, provides detailed accounts of the incident, including the family's presence and the traumatic experience they endured (AP News). The report indicates that the family was not only present but also subjected to distressing circumstances, such as being ordered out of their home at gunpoint and being placed in a police vehicle for an extended period.

The reliability of the source is high, as it is a well-respected news organization known for thorough reporting. The incident has also led to a lawsuit against the Denver police, suggesting that there is ongoing legal scrutiny and public interest in the matter, which further corroborates the claims made in the report.

While there are other sources discussing raids involving families, such as a separate incident in Huntington Park where a mother and her children were also present during a raid (KTLA), they do not relate to the Denver incident specifically. Therefore, they do not impact the veracity of the claim regarding the Denver raid.

Conclusion

The claim that "a mother and her two young children were inside during the raid" is True. The evidence from credible news reports confirms that the Shelton family was indeed present during the SWAT team's mistaken raid, and the details surrounding the incident have been documented in a lawsuit against the police.