AURORA | An Aurora Police officer on Monday morning shot in the direction of a car that was traveling toward them in a 7-Eleven parking lot, though it’s unclear if anyone was struck by a bullet in the fracas.
Investigators said the incident stemmed from a domestic violence-related call dispatchers received from a woman shortly after midnight on July 12, according to a news release.
Aurora police officers found the woman who had called 911 at the 7-Eleven store near the corner of East Hampden Avenue and South Chambers Road. Authorities then endeavored to arrange a meeting with the person who allegedly harmed the woman in the domestic violence encounter.
About 20 minutes later at 12:30 a.m., a white Ford Taurus pulled into the convenience store’s parking lot and drove toward an officer in the area, according to Officer Crystal McCoy, spokesperson for the Aurora Police Department.
The unnamed officer then shot at the vehicle, which proceeded to flee from the area, McCoy said.
The officer was not injured in the encounter, and it’s unknown how many shots were fired or where, if at all, the Taurus was struck. The officer who fired their weapon has been on the Aurora police force since February of last year.
As Monday morning, police do not know who was driving the Taurus or if anyone in the car was injured in the shooting. Investigators also do not know if the driver of the Taurus was indeed the person sought in the original domestic violence-related incident.
Police said that multiple officers at the scene had their body-worn cameras activated during the encounter. The officer who discharged their weapon has not previously fired their gun while on duty, police said.
The incident is set to be forwarded to a regional investigations group in the judicial district serving Arapahoe County. Aurora police joined the review panel earlier this year as a means of ensuring enhanced transparency.
Anyone who may have witnessed the shooting or may have information regarding the driver of the Taurus is encouraged to call the Denver Metro Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867. Tipsters can remain anonymous and be eligible for rewards up to $2,000.
The incident early Monday marked the second time in less than a week that an Aurora police officer fired at a person believed to be wanted in connection with an alleged crime. On July 6, Aurora SWAT officers shot and injured a man wanted on a homicide charge at a motel on East Colfax Avenue.
The pair of July incidents are the only times an Aurora officer has been publicly reported to have fired at a suspect in 2021.
Let’s get this straight a cop shoorts at car not knowing who was in car, was there life and death danger involved? Car then evades police all of whom had body cameras, officer had 4 months on job. Later we will read about a casualty at llocal hospital involving him shot wounds. Pretty flimsy narrative so far.
Excuse me officer had 16 months experience but no one knows if any shots actually hut the large white motor car. As I reread article I was even more befuddled. I just hope no one was actually hurt.