AURORA | In the aftermath of Aurora’s fourth officer-involved shooting in less than two weeks, Aurora Police Chief Nick Metz said he understands why the community and media are wondering what’s behind the sudden uptick.
But, Metz said during a press conference Tuesday, May 17, after all four incidents involved people brandishing guns at officers, there is a bigger question that needs to answered.
“Why are people feeling so emboldened and willing to pull a gun out and point it at an officer?” he said during a press conference detailing the latest officer-involved shooting.
Metz said that in all four cases, a suspect pulled out a gun — in one case it was a fake gun, but police believed at the time it was real — and refused commands to drop it from officers.
“They should expect that there is going to be a response by that officer,” Metz said.
The shootings are the first officer-involved shooting incidents of the year — half the total of similar incidents involving Aurora officers in 2015.
Metz said Aurora remains one of the state’s safest cities despite the recent spike.
“This is kind of an anomaly that we would have this many in a short period of time,” he said.
The latest officer-involved shooting happened late Sunday night, May 15, near East Evans Avenue and South Blackhawk Street.
Aurora police Sgt. Matthew Fyles, who oversees the department’s Major Crime/Homicide Unit, said officers patrolling the area — which has a row of hotels known to police for criminal activity — spotted a Saturn with a defective taillight.
The officers pulled the vehicle over and while checking the identities of several people inside learned some of the passengers had gang affiliations and had previously faced drug and weapons charges, he said.
As the officers were contacting the passengers, one of them ran from the vehicle and an officer chased him, Fyles said.
The man — who police later identified as 19-year-old Natneal Gebretsadik — pulled out a gun and pointed it at the officer twice before the officer fired, Fyles said.
The officer, who Metz said is a three-year APD veteran who previously worked as an officer in Washington, D.C., fired one shot.
Fyles said Gebretsadik was wounded in the pelvic region and remains hospitalized in critical condition. He described Gebretsadik’s injuries as “life threatening.”
Gebretsadik, who Fyles said has been arrested more than two dozen times in Aurora alone, will be charged with being a felon in possession of a gun, police said. He has a previous conviction for felony menacing.
Metz said the officer who shot Gebretsadik has been placed on paid administrative leave while officers from APD and Denver police investigate the shooting. The officer, whose name has not been released, has not been involved in any shootings as an Aurora officer, Metz said, but police are investigating whether he was involved in any while at his previous job.
Metz said that while a traffic stop over a busted taillight might seem routine, the incident shows that no traffic stops are routine for officers.