AURORA | Adams County prosecutors have filed felony criminal charges against a 15-year-old boy in connection to a fatal Jan. 9 shooting outside a man’s home in northeast Aurora.
The shooting occurred in the 20000 block of East 62nd Avenue, police said.
Police will not release the name of the 15-year-old suspect because he is a minor.
“A man walked outside of his house and observed a suspicious red sedan,” police Agent Matt Longshore said in a statement earlier this month. “An unknown person then started shooting at him.”
Police said the man may have been targeted in the shooting.
“Detectives do not believe that this was a random act of violence,” Longshore said in a statement.
The man was rushed to a nearby hospital and died from his injuries, Aurora police spokesperson Agent Matthew Longshore said in a statement.
On Jan. 21, prosecutors from the 17th Judicial district said it was the boy who fired at the man.
The boy was charged in Adams County juvenile court with first-degree murder, first-degree attempted murder, possession of a handgun by a juvenile and a sentencing enhancer.
Investigators from Major Crimes and the department’s gang unit identified the car linked to the shooting, in part because of damaged car parts found at the scene, Longshore said.
“Detectives confirmed the (boy’s) car had damage matching the pieces recovered from the scene,” he said.
On Jan. 10, the department’s gang unit found the car and pulled over the driver during a traffic stop after spotting it, Longshore said.
“A 15-year-old male suspect was taken into custody on an outstanding warrant,” he said.
After interviewing the boy, he was arrested in connection with the Jan. 9 fatal shooting.
Police said anyone with information can call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867. Tipsters can remain anonymous and still be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000, police said.
It’s impossible to think the boy’s parents are not somehow complicit in this act of violence. Parents of underage criminals need to be held accountable so they can be forced to step up and be responsible for the actions of their children. Sure, this kid probably has been hanging with the wrong crowd for a long time, but it’s the responsibility of the parents to ensure their kids keep out of trouble. If the parents fail to do so, they’re essentially accessories to the crime. This was 100% preventable by the parents. I hope the family of the victim step up and tell the courts to do the same. Sending the kid to prison for life is not doing the family full justice.
Thank you, Aurora PD, for finding the suspect and arresting him before he harmed anyonelse.