Aurora Police Involved in Shooting while Investigating Aggravated Assault with a Handgun
(May 30, 2024) Today, we are releasing a critical incident video relating to an officer-involved shooting that occurred May 4, 2024. We aim to release these types of videos within 30 days of an incident, taking into account that we cannot legally release them to the public until 72 hours after an affected family has viewed them. Our Victim Services Unit continues to offer support and resources to affected families.
Interim Chief Heather R. Morris has implemented a new information-sharing process following a critical incident involving our officers. The goal is to increase our agency's transparency and accountability. These videos are intended to provide our community with a better understanding of what occurred based on the information we have at the time of their release. Since the critical incident investigations will remain active well after the release of these types of videos, we will not have all the answers, but it is our commitment to release as much information and video as we are able as soon as possible.
“I recognize that interactions with officers have lasting impacts on community members. I also recognize being a police officer is a tough job. Officers must make split-second decisions, in chaotic and dynamic situations often with limited information. We are committed to being a learning organization, focused on training and providing officers with wellness resources to ensure they are equipped to make the best possible decisions even while under duress. I support the men and women of the Aurora Police Department who are willing to risk so much to keep our community safe. I also hold them to very high standards because it’s what the community expects and deserves.” – Chief Heather R. Morris
The following investigations continue:
• The Aurora Police Department Major Crime Homicide Unit is investigating the initial nonfatal shooting.
• The 18th Judicial District Critical Incident Response Team is conducting an independent investigation of the officer-involved shooting to determine whether the officers’ actions complied with state law.
• Concurrently, the Aurora Police Department’s Internal Investigations Bureau is conducting an administrative investigation of the entire incident assessing compliance with agency policies and training.
Link to video: https://youtu.be/eWQlV68la7c
Information previously released
(May 7, 2024) – Two Aurora police officers were involved in a fatal shooting while responding this weekend to a report of an aggravated assault with a handgun that occurred at an apartment complex in northwest Aurora.
About 7:45 p.m., Saturday, May 4, 2024, Aurora patrol officers were dispatched to the 1400 block of Clinton Street after multiple callers reported hearing sounds of gunfire and that a man had sustained a nonfatal gunshot wound to the leg. The suspect left the scene in a red Ford Mustang.
Prior to arriving at the scene, officers observed the Mustang in the area and engaged in a brief pursuit, which ended when officers lost sight of the vehicle.
As officers attempted to stop the fleeing suspect, additional officers responded to the original scene. Officers located the victim, a 29-year-old Aurora man, who said the suspect arrived at his apartment earlier that evening. The suspect is a known acquaintance. While at the home, the suspect pulled out a handgun.
The victim told officers he and another resident ran out of the apartment after the suspect produced the handgun. The victim said the suspect fired several shots at him, striking him in the leg. The other male resident was not injured. A motive for the shooting is not yet known and is part of the ongoing investigation.
While the victim was speaking with officers, several neighbors began yelling that the suspect had returned to the scene. Officers quickly located the man standing near the victim’s apartment, still armed with a handgun. Officers gave the suspect commands to show them his hands, at which point officers fired their handguns. The suspect was struck multiple times. A 40-caliber handgun was recovered at the scene.
Aurora Fire Rescue arrived at the scene and immediately performed lifesaving actions on the suspect. The suspect was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced deceased. The suspect has been identified by the Arapahoe County Coroner’s Office as 28-year-old Aurora resident Jose Luis Rodriguez-Balderrama.
Two Aurora police officers were involved in Saturday’s officer-involved shooting. The officers were not injured. They have been placed on paid administrative leave, in accordance with agency policy.
The two Aurora police officers are:
• Officer M. Crewse, a three-year veteran of the police department.
• Officer M. Laurita, a four-year veteran of the police department.
As part of standard protocol, the following investigations are running concurrently:
The Aurora Police Department Major Crime Homicide Unit is investigating the initial nonfatal shooting.
The 18th Judicial District Critical Incident Response Team is conducting an independent investigation of the officer-involved shooting to determine whether the officers’ actions complied with state law.
The Aurora Police Department’s Internal Investigations Bureau is conducting an administrative investigation of the entire incident, including the pursuit, to determine whether the officers’ actions complied with agency policies and training.
The investigations are active and ongoing. The information contained in this release is preliminary and subject to change as additional details are obtained during the investigation.
Joe Moylan
Public Information Officer
720.432.5095
AP24-84816