NORTHGLENN, Colo. — The two juveniles who were fatally shot on Sunday after breaking into the backyard of a Northglenn home were armed with a machete and a semi-automatic handgun, according to the Northglenn Police Department.
Officers responded around 2 p.m. Sunday to the 11600 block of Pearl Street on a report of trespassing and menacing. That's an area south of the intersection of 120th Avenue and Washington Street.
Police said Wednesday that the two juveniles broke a fence to gain entry into the backyard and garage-like structure attached to a home.
One juvenile had a semi-automatic handgun and the other had a machete, police said. Both weapons were recovered from the scene.
One of the juveniles and the resident of the home exchanged gunfire, according to police. It's not clear who fired first or how many shots were fired.
Both juveniles were shot and taken to the hospital, where they later died.
Family members identified 16-year-old Ismael Cordova as one of the boys killed in the in the shooting.
“He wasn’t a bad kid," said Christina Cordova, the boy's mother. "He was just making a dumb decision and now he’s gone.”
Christina Cordova learned she lost her son on Monday, and said the pain is still raw. She said she doesn't believe her son or the other boy deserved what happened to them.
“What they were doing in his yard by his house is not right, but that’s not the right way to handle it," Christina Cordova said. "That’s not the right way to handle it.”
The resident of the home was uninjured.
Police said when they searched the backyard, they also found an airsoft gun that had been stolen in a "linked" burglary. A victim in that burglary told 9NEWS that it happened sometime the same day. She said she arrived home around 3:15 p.m. that day and found their back door smashed in.
Police said the airsoft gun "was not a factor in the shooting." Police have not said whether the two juveniles are suspected in the burglary and theft of the airsoft gun.
Once the investigation into the shooting is complete, the Northglenn Police Department will present the results to the district attorney's office, which will determine what, if any, charges are appropriate.
When reached on Tuesday, the 17th Judicial District Attorney's Office said police had not yet presented their evidence to them.
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