AURORA | An unidentified man who witnesses said was firing a handgun in a central Aurora apartment parking lot Thursday night was shot and wounded by police as they confronted him, police said.
Police dispatchers began getting multiple reports of gunfire at about 9:30 p.m. at the Sable Cove apartment complex at 900 South Dawson Way and officers were dispatched to the area.
“Officers contacted multiple people inside of an apartment complex who reported that a man was firing shots in the parking lot,” Aurora police spokesperson Matthew Longshore said in a statement.
Police said they encountered a man matching the description of witnesses, holding a gun, near South Sable Boulevard and East Kentucky Drive.
“After giving this man multiple commands to drop the weapon, the suspect instead fired numerous rounds at the officers,” Longshore said. “Multiple officers returned fire, striking the suspect.”
He said none of the officers were injured during the gunfire exchange, and that the man’s handgun was recovered at the scene.
Officers treated the man for gunfire wounds until rescuers arrived, who rushed the man to a nearby hospital.
“He is expected to survive, and charges are currently pending,” Longshore said. “His identity is not being released at this time.”
Police said six officers were involved in the shooting, and all have been placed on paid administrative leave, which is standard police policy.
The Aurora police major crimes unit will investigate the shooting, as well as a Critical Incident Response Team, composed of outside police and district attorney agencies. The Aurora Police Internal Affairs unit also will investigate the shooting to determine if officers followed department policy and acted appropriately.
Sidhartha Rathod and Qusair Mohamedbhai are anxously awaiting disclosure of the gunman’s race so they can rile up the community, disrupt Council meetings, and cash in from the City once again, regardless of the rest of the facts.