Mom reacts to arrest in shooting of teen at Aurora park

AURORA, Colo. — A 17-year-old girl is charged as an adult with 29 counts related to a deadly shooting at an Aurora park last month that killed 14-year-old Kamiaya Cleveland and injured two other people.

Kamiaya was in the back of a car preparing to leave a party at Highland Hollows Park when she was shot, according to her family.

“I wasn't thinking about the suspect at first until I finally accepted the fact that my daughter was never coming home, and that's when finding the person that took her became the priority,” said her mother, Krystal Cleveland. “I didn’t think it would be another kid.”

Cleveland said her daughter had no enemies, and believes she was likely a random bystander at the fight police said broke out before the shooting. Two other teenage girls were also injured.

“I’m grateful that there’s been an arrest made, but it’s not enough,” said Cleveland. “At this point, we need to make sure that she spends the rest of her life in jail. She took my baby's life, so her life should be gone, too.”

The suspect is expected to be tried as an adult, a decision Cleveland supports.

“She made an adult decision. That was a very adult decision that affected a lot of people. My family is not the only family, there were two other kids that were injured. There were, I don't know how many other witnesses and they're not going to be OK. She affected a lot of lives forever with her adult decision. So, she needs adult consequences for that,” said Cleveland. 

Police said Tuesday that the girl, identified as Jordyn Riley, was arrested Friday in connection with the shooting. She's being charged with 29 counts in Arapahoe County District Court. They include the following:

• 1 count first-degree murder - extreme indifference
• 10 counts of attempted first-degree murder - extreme indifference
• 2 counts of first-degree assault - extreme indifference
• 8 counts of attempted first-degree assault - extreme indifference
• 1 count felony menacing- real or simulated weapon
• 1 count of illegal discharge of a firearm
• 1 count of tampering with physical evidence
• 1 count of possession of a handgun by a juvenile
• 4 sentence enhancers