David Orton gets 180 years for 4-hour standoff with thirteen cops that ended with ass shooting | The Latest Word | Denver | Denver Westword | The Leading Independent News Source in Denver, Colorado
Navigation

David Orton gets 180 years for 4-hour standoff with thirteen cops that ended with ass shooting

It started as a routine domestic-violence report. But there was nothing routine about what followed: a standoff between David Orton and thirteen police officers that went on for a lead-filled four hours. Orton's reward: a 180-year prison sentence. Here are the details that earned Orton two generous lifetimes behind bars...
Share this:
It started as a routine domestic-violence report. But there was nothing routine about what followed: a standoff between David Orton and thirteen police officers that went on for a lead-filled four hours. Orton's reward: a 180-year prison sentence.

Here are the details that earned Orton two generous lifetimes behind bars.

The Orton-related Lakewood Police Department affidavit, on view below in its entirety, not only details the incident itself, which took place in January, but shares information about what led up to it. According to Taryn Quenzer, Orton's wife, the couple had gotten together five years earlier and had three kids together -- ages four, two and five months, as of earlier this year. But their match wasn't made in heaven. One night in 2008, she told cops she'd confronted a drunken Orton after finding out he'd been cheating on her. He responded by strangling her and grabbing their eldest by the leg when she tried to carry the child to safety. He was subsequently busted on child abuse and felony menacing charges. He pleaded guilty to the former and was given a probationary sentence.

In the years that followed, Orton had stayed away from booze, for the most part. But then, a month before his big run-in with the law, Taryn's sister found an empty bottle of Jägermeister -- a violation of the protective order placed upon him. Cops were called, and Orton was arrested again.

A few weeks later, a neighbor invited the couple to a party. Taryn didn't want to go because she had to study for an exam, but David attended -- and in between getting sauced, he allegedly told attendees that his wife was a bitch and he needed a blow job.

That New Year's Eve, he resolved to quit drinking. But this pledge didn't create a lasting peace. On January 7, he insisted on having sex with her, and when she said no because she was tired of all the lies he was telling, he split and headed straight to a liquor store. Upon his return, he told their son his mom was going to "burn in hell."

Taryn took refuge at a neighbor's house shortly thereafter, and upon her return, at about 10 p.m., Orton was incoherent, babbling randomly about fire and the moon -- and his actions only grew more erratic afterward. When she told him to leave her and the kids alone or she would call the police, he responded, "These fuckers aren't gonna get me. I'm gonna get my gun. I'm gonna load that bitch." He later added, "Call the cops. I'll shoot every fucking one."

He soon got his chance to make good on this claim after hitting the butt of his gun on the floor, triggering a shot. Taryn headed to their bedroom and called her father, while a neighbor phoned the cops -- and before long, Orton was on the floor, aiming at the officers who'd gathered outside his door. "It's on," he told her. "They're already shooting back."

Indeed they were. Prior to Taryn's return, Orton had been standing on the porch with a rifle when he fired a shot into the ceiling of the porch. Officers ordered him to put down the gun and surrender, but he wasn't in the mood to do either. Instead, he began shooting back at the cops, apparently aiming at their muzzle flashes.

Around 10:30 p.m., a police bullet found its target, more or less. Taryn heard Orton declare, "Shit, fuck. They got me" -- and they had, in the ass. She saw chunks of flesh at the point of entry on his buttocks. Orton, who'd earlier spoken with her father long enough to tell him, "Go fuck yourself," claimed that he was dying, blamed Taryn for everything that had happened, and then scooped up a handful of blood and smeared it on her arm.

At that point, Tayrn ran to the door and yelled to the officers, "Stop, there's babies inside." The cops responded by telling her to run to safety, and she did. She then informed them that the kids were in a bedroom.

From there, police watched closely to make sure Orton didn't make a move toward the children -- and he didn't. And then, around 3 a.m., they finally entered the house and took him into custody.

In the end, Orton was found guilty of 84 separate counts related to the firefight. His sentence, doled out yesterday, means that each of them resulted in just over two years in stir apiece.

Below, find two mug shots of Orton, the arrest affidavit and an interactive graphic showing the area near the scene. If you have problems seeing the image, click "View Larger Map."

David Orton Arrest Affidavit


View Larger Map

Click to follow and like the Michael Roberts Facebook page.

More from our Colorado Crimes archive: "Jarrett Berlin unarmed when SWAT team shot him, cohort Tara Salazar says he was massacred."

KEEP WESTWORD FREE... Since we started Westword, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.