AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — Prosecutors will not file charges against a convenience store security guard who shot and killed a man back in August.
It happened after a struggle over a gun broke out between the two outside a 7-Eleven in Aurora. The district attorney said Monday that the shooter acted in self-defense.
While the video may be hard to watch, prosecutors said it was important to release it to the public showing self-defense is real.
The 38-second video released by the 17th Judicial District Attorney's Office shows 36-year-old Vernon Dorsey sneaking up behind an armed and uniform security guard outside the 7-Eleven in the 12000 block of East Colfax Avenue.
In the video, Vernon can be seen holding a gun to the guard's head and pushing him against the wall.
"He attacked the security guard, threatened to kill him and as the surveillance video shows in quite graphic detail, they tussled together in a very violent way," said Brian Mason, District Attorney for Colorado's 17th Judicial District.
The silent video shows the struggle between the two before the unidentified security guard manages to retrieve his own gun and shoot Dorsey once in the chest.
“I think it’s important for the public to see what is happening in our community. I think it's important to see when gun violence is threatened," said Mason. "Both when it is actually perpetrated through victims and when it’s threatened like it was in this case.”
When officers arrived at the scene they located Dorsey with a gunshot wound. He was rushed to the hospital where he died from his injuries.
“Was it shocking? No," said James Allbee, law enforcement procedural expert. "Based on my experience he did everything right.”
Allbee said it was troubling to watch two witnesses run to their car instead of trying to de-escalate the situation.
"The day and age we are in, people don't want to reach out and help," said Allbee. "I understand there’s a firearm involved but it's still kind of frustrating people would leave an individual to kind of fend for himself.”
He said that while security guards don't have the same legal protections that sworn police officers have, everyone has the right to defend themselves.
“The security guard was definitely not in the situation to be able to retreat and really he was in a fight for his life," said Allbee. "There was no other reasonable way out of that situation for that security guard other than using deadly force."
The district attorney said he is thankful for the security guard's courage in this particular situation and is fortunate he is alive today. Mason said he would love for the public to refocus their attention on the dangers of gun violence in the community.
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