AURORA, Colo. — A 16-year-old boy was shot and killed Monday night in Aurora.
The shooting happened in the 4700 block of South Memphis Street in Aurora. That's near the intersection of South Buckley Road and East Smoky Hill Road, just north of Independence Elementary school.
Ryan Robertson was shot and brought to the hospital, according to police. He later passed away.
The suspect in the shooting has not been caught. Police describe him as a white man in his early 20s who is about 5 feet, 10 inches tall with a skinny build. He was wearing a black hoodie and black jeans, according to Aurora Police.
Right after the shooting, police asked residents who live in the area to shelter in their homes while they searched for the suspect. That order has since been lifted.
The shooting was not random, Aurora Police Chief Nick Metz said. He did not go into any other details on possible motives.
During a press briefing Monday night, Metz said the violence involving youth needs to stop. It's the third homicide within the city during 2019 where the victim was a juvenile.
"Between my time in Aurora and previous city, I have lost count of the number of young people who we have picked up off the street who've been gunned down in senseless violence," he said. "When you hear the scream of a mother knowing her child isn't coming home, you'll never forget that sound, you'll never forget it. I don't want to see these tragedies any more."
Metz said that to fix this, society needs to change and parents need to make sure they know where their children are at all times.
"A lot of the violence we have seen the victims of this violence, the parents had no idea what they were doing," Metz said. "I'm not blaming the parents, I'm not saying they were at fault. "But we're going to have to start keeping closer tabs on our young people and really watch what they're doing."
Aurora police said the incident is being investigated as a homicide. Anyone who was a witness, or has information about the homicide is asked to call Aurora Police Agent Chad Lampson at 303-739-6013.
Tipsters can also remain anonymous, and be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000, by contacting Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-STOP (7867).
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