AURORA | An Aurora police officer fatally shot an unidentified man Saturday evening when a physical altercation erupted between the two as the officer was investigating a car crash the man was allegedly involved in.
The car-crash and subsequent shooting happened at about 7:30 p.m. on East Sixth Avenue at about Billings Street as numerous cars rolled past and witnesses inside and outside of cars watched events unfold, Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain told reporters at a press conference Saturday night.
“The one thing that’s important to me to make sure that everybody understands is that this was not a singular event.,” Chamberlain said. “There were multiple things that occurred.”
The officer involved in the shooting was working a Labor Day Weekend DUI saturation patrol yesterday in the area when he saw the “suspect” make some kind of traffic violation, Chamberlain said.
When the officer activated his patrol car lights, the man kept driving, rear-ending one car and then veering into the traffic media, crashing into a second car, according to police.
Chamberlain said the crash and traffic stop happened quickly, and that there was no pursuit that took place.
The officer approached the man’s car and ordered him to raise his hands and get out of his car. The man refused to do so for some time, Chamberlain said. Eventually the man complied and got out of the car, continuing to argue with the officer.
“At some point, it appears that a gun was seen by the officer on the ground, and the suspect appeared to be walking towards that weapon,” Chamberlain said. “The officer attempted to de-escalate the situation by grabbing the suspect, pulling him back away from the gun. The suspect turned towards the officer at that time, it appears, and started walking towards the officer in a really aggressive posture.”
Witness videos posted to social media show the man and the officer taking swings at each other, both taking fist-fight stances as the scuffle unfolded.
Chamberlain said witnesses to the shooting told police the man was yelling and people nearby to retrieve his gun.
“He began to say, ‘get my shit, get the shit, get the shit.’ Over and over again,” Chamberlain said.
After a continued altercation, the man stepped into the street and the officer continued to yell commands, as traffic slowly drove by in the other lane, the officer pointed his gun at the man and fired shots, according to Chamberlain and witness video.
Just before the shooting, the man started yelling and moving toward the officer, police said in a statement.
“The suspect immediately turned towards our officer, raised his hands and aggressively approached him and began to verbalize with him about, ‘are you ready for this? Are you ready for this?’“ Chamberlain said. The man “moved out to the center of the street, at which time, our officer fired what appears to be one to three rounds.”
The officer was uninjured during the altercation and shooting, Chamberlain said, and he was placed on administrative leave. Police did not immediately release details about the officer’s tenure in the department.
Others involved in the two car crashes were also uninjured.
Chamberlain repeatedly told reporters that the department would strive to be transparent in its investigation as it unfolds.
Aurora police are currently under a consent decree imposed by the state attorney general after an investigation determined the department has for years exhibited “patterns and practices” of using excessive force against the public, especially people of color.
Aurora is currently investigating a handful of officer-involved shootings from the past two years.
Chamberlain warned the public about “misinformation” linked to the shooting on social media, not offering details about what was inaccurate from those accounts. He asked that the community make their determination about Saturday’s shooting from his statements and what he promised would be a “factual” and “accurate” investigation by the department and outside investigators.
However, the chief immediately pressed the department’s preliminary narrative of how the shooting unfolded, and that the suspect was to blame for the shooting.
“I wish that the suspect would have listened to what the officer said,” Chamberlain said. “I wish he would have merely put up his hands, stepped out of the car and had a conversation with the officer. Again, these are decisions, and these are things that he decided. This is not what the officer decided, it’s what the suspect decided.”
As per city and state laws and policies, Aurora will conduct a major-crimes and internal investigation into the shooting. A Critical Incident Response Team, composed of other area police and investigators from the 18th Judicial District will make an outside report about the shooting. The district attorney will make a determination whether the shooting was justified.
It was immediately unclear when police would release officer-worn body camera video from the shooting, a timeline dictated by state law. Chamberlain said that in addition to the bodycam footage, there appeared to be a wealth of nearby Flock video, business security video and video from witnesses that police will use in their investigation.
The identity of the man will be released by county coroner officials.
Wow… are we in luck with a couple experts and their commentary with what they know on this latest city shooting or what? We have two Aurora professionals in police work that talk to reporters in the two links below to help us identify the important points on this police shooting. APD chief Todd Chamberlain and the activist that shows up at city hall more than the mayor. She must have some police scanner identical to the mayor to be on site to these APD calls.
https://www.denver7.com/news/front-range/aurora/a-man-died-after-being-shot-by-aurora-police-during-aggressive-confrontation-that-followed-a-traffic-stop
https://kdvr.com/news/politics/lawsuit-argues-aurora-government-is-silencing-community-by-banning-public-comment/
It was her car that was hit at Billings during the chase and has video of the aftermath. Professionals said to wear a mask during COVID-19 but many of you choose not to believe them, but now you do? Always speaking on thing you don’t know about.
And this is why Aurora city council has been ducking Community activists who want answers and accountability from officers who kill unarmed Black men. I personally know the activist’s car who was rear-ended in front of the super 8 motel and who was eyewitness and observed the entire instant. The chief police was not there until later. She posted the entire video.
Love the comments in Dean68’s first link where folks want an officer to shoot a moving suspect in the knee or foot. A moving knee or foot is easy to hit in the movies and T.V. shows, but far less so in a real life, emergency, tactical situation. Those are small moving targets and when the inevitable miss happens and the bullet richochets on to hit an innocent bystander that tactic would then also be questioned. I suppose it will be no time at all before we hear from Quasir Mohamedbhai and Siddartha Rathod and before another group of activists overwhelm Council meetings such that other citizens can not have their concerns heard in a public format.
It was her car that was hit at Billings during the chase and has video of the aftermath. Professionals said to wear a mask during COVID-19 but many of you choose not to believe them, but now you do? Always speaking on things you don’t know about.