AURORA, Colo. — The family of a teen fatally shot outside Dillard's store at the Town Center at Aurora in late March made a plea Friday to the public for answers about the boy's death.
"I will never understand why this happened to my son," said Tabatha Denny, the mother of Phoenix Day. "But I do know that we deserve justice. I need to know what happened to my son."
Phoenix was shot twice about 8 p.m. March 25 as the mall was about to close, according to the Aurora Police Department (APD). He was taken to the hospital where he died later that night.
Denny said her son had just moved to Colorado about a year ago and had challenges when it came to making friends and trying to fit in.
"He was always just trying to fit in, he just didn't know how," Denny said while fighting back tears. "Phoenix was working really hard with a mentor who works with at-risk youth. We just needed more time."
Police said Friday that Phoenix's group of friends and another group of people got into an argument inside the mall on the night he was killed. As the mall closed, the two groups planned to move outside to the nearby movie theater parking lot to continue their argument, APD said.
However, shortly after they got outside, an unknown person shot twice at Phoenix. Nine shell casings were recovered at the scene near the Dillard's and sent out for forensic testing. At this point in the investigation, police believe there was one shooter.
Detectives investigating Phoenix's death have reviewed more than a hundred hours of video footage, reviewed social media posts and executed several search warrants, including one at the home of a "person of interest." They need more information to make an arrest.
"We're at a point now where we need the public's help. We want to give Phoenix's family peace by bringing this case to a close and finding who was responsible for Phoenix's murder," said APD Investigations Division Chief Mark Hildebrand.
"We're asking the public to stand against violence," he said. "Youth violence is a crisis in America today, and a first step forward is the public partnering with law enforcement to solve these cases."
APD released photos of several people they want to identify and speak with about what they saw or may know about what happened March 25. They have yet to identify or interview all those involved in the altercation before Phoenix's death.
Police hope to identify witnesses in boy's killing
"These are members of the group that had the last verbal interaction with Phoenix and his group," said Detective Nicholas Lesnansky. "We've only been able to identify a couple of them and speak to them."
"Based on the video, they're clearly in the vicinity of the incident when it happens, so their experiences and what they saw that night would be huge for us in hopefully solving this case," Lesnansky said.
Police are also interested in speaking with anyone else who was at the mall that night around the time of the shooting.
"Social media posts, from someone just taking a selfie might have something in the background that could be critical to us," Lesnansky said. "There's hundreds of different things we could be potentially looking at. That's why we're asking for help from the public. They might not think they have a critical piece of information, but if you were there that night, you might absolutely have that."
The reward for information, through Metro Denver Crime Stoppers, is now up to $4,000.
"No detail is too small. Nothing is going to bring my son back, but it will help to know that no other family has to go through what we have," Denny said. "No mother should feel the way I have felt the last three months."
>WATCH: Aurora Police give update on killing of 13-year-old at mall
Anyone with information can call Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867 or visit metrodenvercrimestoppers.com. Tipsters can remain anonymous.
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