Two Colorado Department of Corrections officers who shot and killed a man wanted for parole violations will not face any criminal charges, District Attorney Beth McCann ruled Wednesday.

The officers fatally shot 38-year-old Aaron Lang after they said Lang pointed a handgun at them on Oct. 20, 2021. The officers were surveilling Lang’s girlfriend’s Denver apartment, where they believed Lang was selling drugs.

“Under these dangerous circumstances, (the officers) were forced to make a split-second judgement,” McCann said in her decision letter. “Their decision to shoot Mr. Lang in self-defense and in defense of others was justified under Colorado law.”

Authorities have not released the names of the officers.

The shooting happened inside of the apartment building at 1090 S. Parker Road. Officers arrived intending to arrest Lang for the parole violations. Officers also believed Lang was part of the white supremacist gang the 211 Crew and in possession of firearms.

Officers spotted Lang leaving the apartment building but, when they approached Lang and announced themselves, he ran back inside, the letter said. Lang then banged on an apartment door begging to be let in, but no one answered.

When one officer confronted Lang in the hallway, Lang pulled out a handgun and pointed it at the officer, the letter said. Believing Lang was holding a Taser, the officer advanced and ordered Lang to drop the weapon, at which point Lang ran away.

Lang was near an exit when a second officer arrived, again ordering Lang to drop the weapon, which they now realized was a gun. When Lang didn’t comply, the second officer fired his weapon twice, striking Lang, the letter said.

Lang ran up a nearby staircase, where he was caught by the first officer. Lang still had the gun in his hand and, when ordered again to drop it, “pulled his weapon up as if to point it at (the officer),” the letter said. The officer then shot Lang three times.

Lang was taken to a hospital where he died of his injuries. An autopsy found that Lang had been shot in the upper left back, left chest, left abdomen, left wrist and left thigh.

McCann will present details about the officer-involved shooting and discuss her conclusions during a virtual community meeting at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 19 via Microsoft Teams.