AURORA | An Aurora police officer fatally shot a 17-year-old white boy Thursday night after the teen called dispatchers threatening to fire at police and “shoot up” a gas station and then allegedly charged at officers answering the call, according to Aurora police.
The shooting happened about 7:40 p.m. outside the Conoco gas station at 290. S. Havana Street, police said during a press conference later on site.
The boy was shot by an officer after several attempts to use less-lethal force methods to stop the boy as he threatened to shoot officers, according to Aurora police Chief Todd Chamberlain.
Despite threats to fire a gun at the business and responding officers, no gun was found, police said.
Police Chief Todd Chamberlain said the teen himself called Aurora 911, claiming he had a gun in his waistband or pocket and planned to “shoot up the area.”
Shortly after, someone inside the gas station also called 911, saying he had locked himself inside the business because of the boy’s alarming activity outside.
Officers arrived at the scene at about 7:40 p.m.
“They set up with their equipment, which included a rifle, a pistol and a less-lethal tool known as a 40 millimeter,” an Aurora police official said at the briefing. That gun fires “rubber” or “foam” projectiles.
The suspect was seen near a gas pump island “almost waiting for the officers,” with his hands concealed, Chamberlain told reporters. Despite repeated commands to get on the ground and show his hands, he did not comply.
One officer fired the 40mm launcher two to four times, striking the teen with foam projectiles, but Chamberlain said it had no effect.
“After the (foam) rounds were actually fired, he increased his aggressive behavior and started to run towards the officers,” Chamberlain said.
As the suspect charged, still concealing his hands, one officer fired a hand gun, striking the boy, Chamberlain said.
Officers performed lifesaving measures until paramedics arrived, and the teen was taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
His name has not been released. The Arapahoe County Coroner’s Office will identify him after notifying relatives.
As of late Thursday, no firearm was found at the scene, police said.
Mental health crisis officers also responded to the call but were not able to intervene before the encounter escalated.
“There wasn’t a huge opportunity to do any kind of crisis intervention,” Chamberlain said, citing the boy’s threats of an imminent shooting.
“This is a tragic event. There is no getting around it,” Chamberlain said. “When you have a suspect who calls and says he plans on shooting up a location, has a gun and wants to shoot at police officers, that’s very concerning.”
The officer who fired the shot has been placed on paid administrative leave, as standard department policy.
The 18th Judicial District Critical Incident Response Team, known as CIRT, is investigating the shooting. Aurora police are conducting a parallel internal review.
Police said all officers at the scene were wearing body cameras, and investigators are gathering that footage, along with surveillance video from the gas station and surrounding area.
It’s unclear when any of the video footage will be released.
Chamberlain said at least one witness has been identified and interviewed, and police asked anyone with video or information about the incident to contact investigators.
The case comes as Aurora police remain under continued scrutiny following a 2021 consent decree imposed by the Colorado attorney general’s office, which found the department engaged in racially biased policing and used excessive force, especially against people of color.
Police shot and killed a Black man Aug. 30 during a traffic altercation in an incident where the suspect in the case was armed and also was combative with responding officers. In that incident, family members of the man shot by police have threatened a civil lawsuit, pending the outcome of the CIRT investigation in the case.
“This is not an event that any officer wants to be part of,” the official said. “This is an incredibly sad circumstance, but this is what officers respond to day in and day out.”
“Mental health crisis officers also responded to the call but were not able to intervene before the encounter escalated”
This is a problem
Unarmed suicide by cop?
Sad thathe boy appaently could not endure life and live longer and find a way to cope with life.
Can police have a fareaching liquid which would temporarily blind someone?