Aurora police release body cam footage of fatal shooting of 14 year old
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Laurie Littlejohn, mother of Jor'Dell Richardson, speaks during a rally for her son on Friday, June 6, outside the Aurora Municipal Center. Photo: Esteban L. Hernandez/Axios
The 14-year-old boy fatally shot by Aurora police June 1 was carrying a pellet gun when authorities attempted to stop him, police said Friday.
Driving the news: Body-worn camera footage released by the department on Friday shows police chasing Jor'Dell Richardson after his suspected involvement in an armed robbery.
- The footage shows two officers chasing Richardson in an alley, ordering him to stop, before one officer, Roch Gruszeczka, tackles him.
- While on top of Richardson, Gruszeczka told him to "let go" of a gun, before firing a single shot, which entered his abdomen.
Of note: During Friday's press conference, interim Aurora Police Chief Art Acevedo showed the pellet gun found with Richardson next to an actual firearm, displaying its similarities.
The other side: Siddhartha Rathod, an attorney for Richardson's family, told reporters Acevedo contacted him 30 minutes before the police started its press conference on Friday to inform him the gun recovered was a pellet gun.
- Rathod, who led a press conference for the family outside the Aurora Municipal Center, called on Acevedo to apologize to Richardson's family and resign.
What they're saying: "We're sick and tired of it, they can't keep killing our children and then lying about it," Rathod said.
- The family reviewed the footage with Acevedo on Tuesday; Rathod said the department knew the gun wasn't real, but did not disclose it during the earlier meeting.
Context: An officer on routine patrol on June 1 requested backup after seeing teenagers approaching a convenience store near East Eighth Avenue and North Dayton Street, according to an initial press release from police.
- Police say the teenagers, who were wearing medical masks and hoodies, ran from the store after taking vape canisters.
Zoom out: The Aurora Police Department entered into a consent decree agreement in 2021 after the Colorado attorney general's office found it violated state and federal laws through racially biased policing and excessive force.
- The department has struggled to meet deadlines for the agreement, which requires the agency to make changes, including for its use-of-force policy.
Between the lines: The consent decree was prompted by the renewed attention into the 2019 death of Elijah McClain. It gained more notoriety after demonstrations against police violence following George Floyd's murder in 2020.
- Three Aurora police officers and two paramedics were charged in 2021 in connection to McClain's death.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to include Richardson's family.