Denver police fatally shot a young girl suspected of driving a stolen car filled with teenage passengers after she hit an officer with the vehicle.

Authorities say the police officer approached the car on foot before the shooting took place, Reuters reported.

Denver Police Chief Robert White said the first officer on the scene responded to a call about a suspicious vehicle in an alley of the city's Park Hill neighborhood with about five people, all appearing to be very young, inside.

The officer called for back-up after running the car's plates and discovering that it was stolen. When the second officer reached the scene, both officers approached the car. Then, the driver allegedly hit one of the officers with the vehicle.

"Both officers fired several shots [at the driver]," White said.

The girl was later pronounced dead at a local hospital, while the officer who was struck with the car suffered a possible broken leg and is expected to recover.

The names of the police officers were not released. Both officers are on administrative leave while an investigation into the shooting is pending.

All other passengers in the alleged stolen car were taken into custody as part of the investigation. None were injured during the incident.

Denver prosecutors said Tuesday they could not discuss the facts of the case but are promising a thorough investigation, ABC News reported.

Nearly 20 people gathered outside the office of District Attorney Mitch Morrissey demanding a special prosecutor be appointed to the investigation on the death of 16-year-old Jessica Hernandez.

Chief Deputy Attorney Doug Jackson said the findings of the investigation will be made public and that people could decide if the right decision was made.

Jose Castaneda, the girl's cousin, said he is not willing to wait months to find out what truly happened.

Related