DENVER — An officer shot and killed a 14-year-old suspect in an armed robbery Thursday afternoon, the Aurora Police Department (APD) said.
APD said it started at around 4:20 p.m., when an officer with the department's gang unit saw a group of teens wearing medical masks and hoodies approaching a convenience store near East 8th Avenue and North Dayton Street. Believing that to be suspicious, he called for other gang officers to respond and investigate.
Police said moments later, the teens ran from the store after robbing it of several vape canisters. They learned that at least one of them had threatened the clerk with a firearm.
Officers attempted to stop the suspects and take them into custody, APD said. Two were taken into custody without incident, and several more sped away in a stolen Kia Sedona minivan. The suspects in the minivan have still not been found.
Police said a third suspect who tried to run was contacted by officers and was found to be armed with a gun. During a struggle to take him into custody, APD said, one officer fired his weapon.
The suspect later died at the hospital. He was identified as a 14-year-old Jor'Dell Da'Shawn Richardson by the Arapahoe County Coroner's Office. His death was ruled a homicide due to a gunshot wound.
The 18th Judicial Critical Incident Response Team is investigating the shooting, and APD is investigating the robbery.
The officer who fired his gun has been placed on paid administrative leave in accordance with agency policy. An Internal Affairs Bureau investigation is also underway.
APD said the officer who fired his weapon has been with the department since 2017 and has served with the gang unit since 2019.
Metro Denver Crime Stoppers
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867 or visit metrodenvercrimestoppers.com. Tipsters can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000.
Metro Denver Crime Stoppers works by assigning a code to people who anonymously submit a tip. Information is shared with law enforcement, and Crime Stoppers is notified at the conclusion of the investigation.
From there, an awards committee reviews the information provided and, if the information leads to an arrest, the tipster will be notified. Rewards can be collected using the code numbers received when the tip was originally submitted.
> More information about Metro Denver Crime Stoppers can be found here.
> Additional Crime Stoppers bulletins can be found here.
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