Still raw with emotion just an hour after their son’s wake, the family of 12-year-old Elias Armstrong arranged tea candles spelling out his name on the spot where he was shot and killed. Denver Police say a man whose car was stolen by Armstrong and a group of friends tracked them down with an app he had installed on his phone. The Audi was taken from the Northfield shopping center Feb. 5 and Armstrong died hours later.

Police said the man, whom they have not identified citing the ongoing investigation, drove to 10th and Decatur in Denver and traded gunfire with the group.

It’s unclear who shot first, but the man told police the alleged car thieves shot 1-2 shots into the air, according to Armstrong’s parents. They spoke with a Denver police detective last week, who told them that the man then fired 15 rounds, “emptying his clip,” said Elias’ father, Thomas Armstrong.

He told the Denver Gazette that Elias, who was shot in the arm, chest and side of his body, drove bleeding two blocks away, to 12th and Decatur where he was pulled out of the car and died on the street in the arms of a stranger. Thomas Armstrong said two of his friends fled the area yelling, “We love you, bro.”

A woman who wished not to be identified showed the disturbing black and white footage to reporters and a lawmaker who attended the vigil. It has no audio, but it shows a dark street where a black car is double-parked and then headlights approach from behind. The Audi’s flashers come on and the approaching car pulls in front of it. A figure runs toward the Audi at full speed.

“He approached the car with the gun, running to the car, and (then he) pulled the gun out and started shooting right away. He was upset at these kids for taking his car and he’s angry. And he’s coming to kill these kids over his car,” said Thomas Armstrong. “It was pretty much vigilante justice.”

The Denver Gazette has obtained the video which was taken from a nearby Youth Center. The entire episode from the time the man rushes toward the group to the time the Audi pulls away, allegedly driven by Elias, takes around 10 seconds.

Armstrong and Elias’ stepmother, Turquisha Moore-Armstrong, were shown the video in a special explanatory meeting called by Denver District Attorney Beth McCann and a Denver Police detective.  At the meeting, McCann told the family that the shooting was justified, said Moore-Armstrong. Last week, McCann announced publicly that she would not be pursuing charges in the case.

She reiterated her stance Thursday afternoon in a statement:

“My heart goes out to Elias Armstrong’s family in this time of terrible and overwhelming grief. I met with members of his family last week along with the DPD detective and members of my office to explain why a criminal case could not be brought based on the facts. The DA’s Office can only file charges when guilt can be proved beyond a reasonable doubt. In this instance, we cannot file charges because of self-defense issues which were present at the time.”

After multiple requests by The Denver Gazette for police reports and any other investigative material that might explain what happened that night, Denver Police have refused, saying in an email Thursday that the investigation is still open and that there have been no arrests.

Alicia Henderson, Elias’ sister, said the family decided to speak publicly in protest of McCann’s decision. “We’ve been waiting for the detective to show us the video. I hope the DA decides to take the case back. There are pieces of the puzzle that don’t make sense,” she said. Denver Police told the family that the man who shot Elias was on the phone with them for 20 minutes during which they told him not to pursue the car thieves. “He decided to take justice in his own hands because he was very angry,” she said.

State Representative Julie Gonzales (D) Denver attended the vigil, she said, because she wanted to listen. “This took place blocks away from where I live. To see so many issues all combined in one case, issues around gun violence, issues around motor vehicle theft, issues around young people involved in the justice system,” she said. “It is really heartbreaking.”

Elias is the second child the Armstrong’s have lost to gunfire during an auto theft incident. Their 16-year-old son, Torrence McCall, died in mid-October in Westminster during a police pursuit. Police said McCall shot himself, but Moore-Armstrong questions that outcome, telling reporters that the bullet hit the back of his head. She knows he did wrong but does not believe that the boys deserved to die. “I’ll never get over it,” she said, sobbing. “It hurts so much. Torrence was my life.”

The 12-year-old will be buried Friday. As Thomas Armstrong left the area where his son died, he shouted to no one in particular, “We love you, Elias!”