Denver Zoo officials said a man claimed to be a lion and tackled and beat a zoo guard before police arrived and tased him. The man, Alonzo Ashley, 29, later died.

At a press conference this afternoon, zoo spokeswoman Tiffany Barnhart called the incident unprecedented in the zoo's history at a press conference.

"There is a lot of confusion out there and we want to be clear why the police were needed," she said.

The death has sparked concern among some community members. Civil rights activist Alvertis Simmons, the Rev. Patrick Demmer and Pastor Reginald Holmes, announced plans to hold a rally outside the Denver Zoo entrance beginning at 2 p.m. Friday.

"Once again we as a community are being forced to examine the murder of an African American man who lost his life at the hands of Denver Law Enforcement Officers under questionable circumstances. ..Alonzo Ashley only wanted relief from the heat by placing his head under a water fountain in the Denver Zoo. He is now lifeless due to an alleged Taser attack," Timothy E. Tyler, astor of Shorter Community African Methodist Episcopal Church, said in an emailed statement on Thursday.

The trouble began when a security officer received a call from a staff member reporting a man who was passed out near the elephant compound. The guard who responded found Ashley standing with his head under a water fountain.


The guard asked Ashley several times if he was OK without receiving an answer.

Ashley then made some irrational statements, including a claim to be a lion. The guard then turned to Ashley's girlfriend, who appeared frightened, and Ashley started yelling at her and threw a trashcan.

The guard was concerned for both Ashley and the woman, but never escalated the situation, Barnhart said. Instead, he called police.

Ashley's girlfriend pointed to the guard while he was on the phone with police, and Ashley began chasing him. He tackled the guard and repeatedly punched him, Barnhart said. The guard was scraped and bruised, she added.

Denver police arrived a short time later and when officer tried to restrain Ashley he attacked the officers and zoo security guards — hitting one officer and biting another officer and a security guard, police said after the incident.

Officers then used a Taser without success and Ashley continued to fight.

After several minutes, police were able to hold the man down and put him in custody.


Toxicology tests on Ashley are still pending. Denver Police say he was carrying drugs and drug paraphernalia at the time of Monday's incident but have declined to say what kind of drugs.

Tom McGhee: (303)954-1671 or