AURORA | City council will vote Monday on an amended resolution offering condolences to families and the community for officer-involved shootings, while acknowledging the council’s legal obligations and impacts to police.
The resolution, sponsored by Councilmember Rob Andrews, comes after years of contentious meetings and sustained pressure from activists and families demanding accountability in officer-involved shooting cases involving the Aurora Police Department.
Andrews previously said it was an attempt to show some form of “support of the folks this has happened to.”
At the April 20 council study session, conservative council members pushed back on the resolution for not making a distinction between shootings that have been deemed “legally justified” or not. Some city lawmakers were critical of the bill for not including the impact officer-involved shootings have on police.
Councilmember Françoise Bergan pointed to the officer-involved shooting in April, where Amare Garlington, a 23-year-old Black man experiencing a mental health crisis, attacked an officer with a knife, stabbing him in the head. The officer shot and killed Garlington during the attack.
“We should show sympathy and empathy for that officer and his family as well,” Bergan said.
In response, Andrews said he wanted the resolution to be collaborative and for it to receive bipartisan support.
“I think us doing this together would change a lot of things,” he said.
The resolution included in Monday’s agenda has been amended to say officer-involved shootings are a tragedy for the community, “including the lives of officers, their families, friends, and supporters.”
If adopted by the full city council, the resolution would establish a consistent public stance acknowledging the tragedy of officer-involved shootings, expressing sympathy for those affected, while detailing that ongoing litigation prevents any other public comment.
“City Council stands in mourning with all who are adversely affected by these tragic events,” the proposed resolution states.
The original resolution had been seen by some community members as a sign of progress in how city officials handle the issue, though they continued to push for substantive changes, such as independent police oversight.
City lawmakers have faced repeated criticism during public meetings, often interrupted by protesters calling for discipline of officers, policy changes and broader reforms. The tension has been fueled in part by high-profile cases, including the 2024 fatal shooting of Kilyn Lewis and others, after the 2019 death of Elijah McClain.
The resolution states that while individual council members may hold personal opinions, the body as a whole “must refrain from commenting publicly on any matters with pending claims or litigation” to protect the city’s legal interests.
It also states that Colorado law essentially requires the city to defend officers and cover financial judgments in such cases.
The resolution reflects an attempt to create a balance for council members, who have said they are constrained in their official roles even as public expectations grow.