18-year-old held mother hostage before deadly shootout: Aurora police
KDVR Fox 31
DENVER (KDVR) — Aurora police said Monday that the 18-year-old who was shot and killed by an officer on Sunday morning was holding his mother hostage.
The incident began around 11:15 p.m. on Saturday in the 1900 block of South Vaughn Way when a resident reported an argument between multiple people who lived in the same apartment. The caller reported a man was assaulting a woman and had threatened the caller and another roommate with a firearm, according to police.
At a press conference Monday afternoon, the Aurora Police Department said the 18-year-old suspect was holding his mother hostage. Initially, Aurora police brought a hostage negotiator to the scene.
The suspect at one point injured his mother with a weapon, police said. At about 1 a.m. on Sunday, police say the suspect released his mother before allegedly opening fire on officers. One officer fired back, striking the suspect. Officers performed life-saving measures while waiting for medical responders to arrive, but the 18-year-old later died at the hospital.
Police said the mother was not seriously injured, and no officers were hurt in the exchange.
Neighbors described the scene to FOX31’s Kasia Kerridge early Sunday morning.
“There was 10 cop cars, caution tape wrapped around the whole entire building. Two CSI units and a SWAT team truck … The whole building 24 was roped off,” a neighbor told FOX31 anonymously. “The last probably nine months, it’s really gone down. As you can even hear, music in the background, on the weekends, people drinking, people hanging out in their cars, lot of fighting.”
On Monday, Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain displayed two photos of an armored vehicle showing bullet markings. He said the officer who fired at the suspect remains on paid administrative leave while the incident is investigated by a critical response team and the Aurora Police Department, as is standard protocol.