AURORA, Colo. – An armed robbery suspect shot and killed by police Thursday after allegedly ignoring an officer’s commands to put down his weapon was just 14 years old, according to the Arapahoe County Coroner’s Office.
Police claim 14-year-old Jor’Dell Da’Shawn Richardson tried to run away from officers who were responding to a convenience store near East Eighth Avenue and North Dayton Street in Aurora around 4:20 p.m. Police were alerted to respond after they got a call from a sergeant in the area who noticed several teenagers wearing medical masks and hooded sweatshirts approaching the store.
In a news release Thursday, police said the teens allegedly robbed several vape canisters from the store and then ran away. At least one of the suspects threatened the clerk with a firearm, police said, though it was not clear if the armed teen was Jor’Dell.
Two of the teen suspects were taken into custody shortly after the alleged robbery, but police claim Jor’Dell tried to run away and a struggle between the boy and an officer happened soon after. Jor'Dell was allegedly armed and reportedly ignored officers' commands to put down the weapon.
“At some point, an officer discharged his weapon and shot the suspect,” police said in Thursday’s release. Police did not say how many rounds were fired by the officer or if the suspect pointed the gun at the officer before the officer fired his weapon.
The boy was taken to a hospital where he later died, according to police.
"This is a tragedy, all the way around. There's no other way to look at it," Aurora Chief of Police Art Acevedo said during a news conference Thursday. "These kids think that this is a video game. I don't know what they think this is. This is... a real-world, real-life situation."
The officer who shot the suspect has been with the department since 2017, and joined the Gang Intervention Unit in 2019, according to Acevedo. He has been placed on administrative leave, per department protocol.
The 18th Judicial Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) is investigating the shooting, while the Gang and Robbery Investigations Team is investigating the armed robbery.
The Internal Affairs Bureau is also conducting a investigation into the incident, concurrent with the criminal investigation. Acevedo said this was a new practice within the department.
Several more suspects took off in a stolen Kia Sedona minivan with license plate CNS P11 and have not been found, according to Aurora police.
Anyone with information about the outstanding suspects or the robbery is asked to call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867. Tipsters can remain anonymous.
