AURORA, Colo. — Two years have passed since 13-year-old Phoenix Day was killed outside Dillard’s at the Town Center at Aurora mall, but it feels like yesterday for his mother.
“Have I wrapped my head around the fact my son is never coming back? Absolutely not," Tabatha Denney told Denver7.
She remains committed to finding out who killed her son.
“Thinking of the face of the person who did that terrifies me," she said. "Knowing that there's someone out there walking around living their life or not,” Denney said.
Day was shot in the parking lot outside Dillard’s at the Town Center at Aurora mall around closing time on March 25, 2023. Aurora police said the shooting happened after a fight in the food court. One of the first officers to arrive at the scene attempted CPR on Day before paramedics arrived and brought him to the hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.
Denver7 streamed a press conference from Aurora police that evening in 2023, as the investigation began. You can watch that report in the video below.
Investigators shared surveillance photos of several witnesses back in 2023, and now they feel like they're getting close to honing in on a suspect.
“We have made significant progress, I think, in getting to the point where we can identify the person responsible, but we're still looking to add the final puzzle pieces,” said Aurora Police Homicide Det. Nicholas Lesnansky.
Aurora police just released photos showing new angles of two persons of interest that have never been seen publicly before. Police want to identify those people and believe they could have critical information to help move the case forward.
“They haven't been identified and definitely need spoken to,” Lesnansky said.
Denver7 reached out to the mall and asked if any safety measures were implemented since the shooting, but we have not yet heard back. Aurora police said officers patrol the area frequently.
“We have two officers that work there more or less full time,” Lesnansky said. “To my knowledge, the mall has taken a lot of steps to improve security around there.”
Denver7 asked Lesnansky if he thinks worries about safety at the mall are valid, especially for kids.
“They should ideally have an adult with them and just be aware of their surroundings and if they feel like things are escalating beyond their point of control, to either find law enforcement or security,” Lesnansky said.
As the investigation continues, Denney said her son's pictures and mementos get her through the hard days.
“We still honor him and talk about him every day like he's still here,” she said.
She wears his ashes in her necklace and ring to keep him close by, all while hoping he gets justice soon.
“He’s not just a victim. He's my son. He mattered," she said. "What happened to him matters and for this to end in silence isn't fair."
Denver7 also learned Denney filed a complaint last September against the mall, its management company and security services, alleging that it is their job to protect customers and that they didn’t take adequate safety measures to keep customers safe despite a rise in crime at the mall.
You can read the amended complaint here or below.
There is a $10,000 reward for information regarding Day’s death. If you have any information, you can call Aurora police or Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867 to remain anonymous.
