On the night Cory Latimer was arrested by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, the former Broncos player had become angry after he saw a man at a poker party sitting “uncomfortably close” to his son under a blanket, according to testimony given in a Sept. 10 preliminary hearing.

Latimer, 27, then got into a physical fight with his friend who was hosting the party, according to a responding detective with DCSO, who testified in the hearing.

Latimer, who was on the Washington Football Team until he was cut in August, was charged with four felonies and four misdemeanors after the May 15 incident, including second-degree assault, menacing and tampering with evidence.

Deputies responded to the Zenith Meridian Apartment complex near Lone Tree at about midnight on the night of the incident after hearing reports of arguing and shots fired, Det. Lionel Kahan said in the hearing.

Earlier that day, Latimer had asked his friend to host the poker party, according to reports from the incident. During the event, Latimer got into an argument with the man sitting by his son and asked his friend to kick the man out of the apartment. The friend then asked everyone, including Latimer, to leave the party, Kahan said.

After about 30 minutes, Latimer returned to the friend’s apartment with a handgun in his pocket, threatening to kill someone, the friend told deputies. 

Latimer was angry at the friend for not intervening more during the incident with the man and his son, Kahan said. Twice, the friend and Latimer had a physical altercation in the apartment and twice, Latimer fired his gun, but didn’t hit the friend or the man’s girlfriend, who was also present.

In the second tussle, the friend says he was holding Latimer against a wall by his neck when Latimer hit him in the head with the pistol, according to Kahan’s testimony. 

Deputies later found Latimer’s gun and bullets hidden in different places in the apartment. 

Latimer’s lawyer, Harvey Steinberg, who has represented several other NFL players, argued that Latimer was actually the victim in the situation.

“If he wasn’t an NFL player we wouldn’t be here,” Steinberg said. “There is no suggestion that my client was ever the aggressor … other than to stop a guy from choking him out so he could leave.”

Deputy District Attorney Daniel Warhol argued that Latimer began the aggression when returned to the home with a gun and later hid it.

“He was angry. … He ends up shooting two rounds and then hides the gun and ammo in different areas in the apartment,” Warhol said.

As of Sept. 11, the judge in the case, Larry Bowling, was waiting for additional information from each side to decide if there was probable cause to proceed in the case. Each attorney was given until Sept. 17 to submit their additional information and Bowling was expected to decide if the case will move forward soon after.

“I take issue with (Steinberg) saying if (Latimer) wasn’t an NFL player we wouldn’t be here,” Warhola said. “That’s the furthest thing from the truth.”

Latimer, who was signed by the Washington Football Team in March, was selected in a second round draft by the Broncos in 2014 and was with the Denver team during their 2016 Super Bowl win.

He was released from the DCSO jail after posting a $25,000 bond a few hours after his arrest. His misdemeanor charges include two charges of reckless endangerment and two charges of prohibited use of a weapon.

His next court appearance is set for Oct. 30 at 10 a.m.