AURORA, Colo. — Family members identified the man shot and killed in his car Friday afternoon in Aurora as Preston Brown Jr.
The incident happened in the 1500 block of Beeler Street, which is near the intersection with East Colfax Avenue, Aurora Police said.
When police arrived at the scene around 12:34 p.m., APD said they located a man, later identified as Brown, with gunshot wounds in a vehicle.
He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to APD.
The Major Crimes and Homicide Unit is collecting more information on the suspect.
By Sunday afternoon, the corner of Beeler and Colfax was covered in candles and teddy bears in memory of Brown, known to friends and family as Flip.
"He was my protector," said Lasandra Powell, Brown's sister. "Things happened in the past. He was right there and I miss him already.”
Powell visited the roadside memorial Sunday with Alisa Trowell, the mother of Brown's eldest son.
"He had a heart for people," Trowell said. “I can remember one year in the Five Points area, he bought all the kids Easter baskets."
Trowell said Brown served in the military and worked construction jobs over the years. He was also an aspiring bodybuilder.
“Arnold Schwarzenegger was his idol," she said. "He wanted to be Mr. Universe.”
Trowell said Brown would have turned 60 this year.
"Nobody deserves to die like that," she said.
Family members set up a GoFundMe page to help cover the cost of funeral expenses.
Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867 or by visiting metrodenvercrimestoppers.com. Tipsters can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000.
Metro Denver Crime Stoppers works by assigning a code to people who anonymously submit a tip. Information is shared with law enforcement, and Crime Stoppers are notified at the conclusion of the investigation.
From there, an awards committee reviews the information provided and, if the information leads to an arrest, the tipster will be notified. Rewards can be collected using the code numbers received when the tip was originally submitted.
> More information about Metro Denver Crime Stoppers can be found here.
> Additional Crime Stoppers bulletins can be found here.
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