Aurora officer hospitalized after fight near DIA leads to shooting death of a man
An Aurora police officer was taken to the hospital with minor injuries after a fight led to the shooting death of a hostile man at an offsite airport parking lot Monday evening.
Police first received a call about the incident at 3 p.m., Monday, with the reporting party saying there was a suspicious man trespassing at the parking lot in the 19900 block of East 56th Avenue.
The report said the man was checking vehicle door handles and refusing to leave, according to a news release received from the Aurora Police Department Monday night.
The location of the lot is southwest of Denver International Airport.
According to the release, when an Aurora officer responded around 5:15 p.m., the man was still at the lot, with employees of the business saying he was becoming more aggressive. After the officer tried to speak with the man, the man charged and a fight broke out.
Aurora police dispatch received multiple additional calls from others at the parking lot reporting that an officer needed help, the release said.
After issuing multiple commands and trying to use less lethal devices to gain control of the situation — both of which proved to be unsuccessful — the officer shot the man, according to the release. The man later died at the hospital due to the life-threatening injuries he sustained.
The officer was also taken to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries he sustained in the fight.
The officer, following department policy, was placed on administrative leave upon his release, the release said.
According to the release, both the Aurora Police Department and 17th Judicial District will conduct investigations into the incident to determine if the officer’s actions were in line with agency policies and state law, respectively.
The man will be identified by the Adams County Coroner’s Office, the release says. The investigation into the incident remains active and ongoing.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867. Tipsters can remain anonymous and could be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000.
