A man was shot and killed by an Aurora police officer along East Colfax Avenue near the Biltmore Hotel early Wednesday morning, according to Aurora Police Chief Nicholas Metz.
In a Wednesday afternoon press conference, Metz explained that the information he was offering to the media and the public came from watching the body camera footage from the three officers involved in the shooting. Only one officer reportedly opened fire on the unidentified suspect, but all three worked to save the man's life after he was shot, Metz said.
The unidentified suspect died from his injuries a short while later at a nearby hospital, according to the Aurora Police Department.
Metz explained that while the trio of officers were out investigating a case around 12:30 a.m., they heard gunshots. The officers then went in the direction of the gunshots - the 8900 block of East Colfax Avenue near the Biltmore Hotel - and found several shell casings on the ground.
They also ran into a potential witness, Metz said, who provided a detailed description of what the suspect who fired the gun looked like and was wearing.
The suspect may have also been menacing the witness and may have threatened that person, Metz said.
Just a few minutes after getting the suspect description, the three officers saw someone matching it and went after him, Metz said.
The officers chased the suspect through the Biltmore's parking lot, Metz said, all the while telling the suspect to drop a weapon and surrender to them. Metz stressed to the gathered media that this is what he heard on the body camera footage.
When the suspect rounded the corner of a nearby building, officers followed, according to Metz. The group of men came face to face with each other as officers continued to demand the suspect drop the gun. Metz said he then heard shots fired and the suspect drop to the ground.
The officers continued to shout for the suspect to drop a weapon and the suspect reportedly shouted things at the officers for a short while, Metz said.
He said, eventually, the suspect could be heard saying, "Gun dropped."
Officers quickly ran to the suspect, tied a tourniquet around his leg to try and stop the excessive bleeding, and called first-responders to the scene. Metz said the officers also found a gun, but the chief could not confirm who the gun belonged to, although he said it did not belong to officers.
The suspect would be taken to a nearby hospital and soon died of his injuries.
Metz said the suspect had an extensive criminal history of both state and federal crimes, including possession of an illegal firearm.
The police chief said he wouldn't identify the suspect - the Arapahoe County Coroner's Office will do that. The Aurora Police Department Victim Services has made itself available to the family of the slain suspect to help in any way they can.
Of the three officers who were present during the shooting, only one opened fire. All were white, Metz said, and all had been serving in the department for three years without any disciplinary record. Two of the officers are 30 years old and one is 34, he said.
The officer who opened fire, Metz said, is 30 years old and had already been placed on administrative reassignment with pay. The shooting is being investigated as a criminal shooting. Once the investigation is over, the facts of the case will be offered to the District Attorney's Office. Metz said all of that is standard procedure.
Metz went on to say that if any wrongdoing is found, that information would be forwarded to his department's internal affairs team. If no wrongdoing is found, the case will be closed.
