AURORA, Colo. — An Aurora man had just chased off scooter thieves from his home on Paris Street before he was killed in a drive-by shooting early Wednesday morning, according to the Aurora Police Department.
Investigators said the victim, 49-year-old Miguel Angel Saucedo Araujo, woke up to the sound of two suspects stealing scooters parked in the backyard of his house before he and his son confronted the suspects, who drove away on the stolen scooters. Araujo and his son then chased them in the man's pickup.
Shots were fired at the pickup during the chase, but both father and son were not injured, according to police.
Once they returned home, however, they noticed a vehicle drive by the front of the house and several rounds were fired into the home. One of the bullets fatally struck Araujo, investigators said.
Denver7 spoke with a friend and neighbor, who described Araujo as a hard-working and humble man. The neighbor did not want to be named for this story.
"He was building his own house — beautiful, big house — and doesn't get to enjoy it," the neighbor said in Spanish.
She said she was home when the shooting happened and could hear Araujo's wife yelling for help.
"The ambulance took a while. We could hear his wife screaming, 'My husband is bleeding out! Where is the ambulance?!'" she said, adding that she and several neighbors are on edge after the shooting and hope there can be more patrols and surveillance in the area.
The shooting, which happened near the intersection with N. Del Mar Circle at approximately 4:39 a.m., forced the closure of several streets in the area.
Police said this was an isolated incident and there is no ongoing threat to the public despite the fact that the suspects have not yet been identified.
Anyone with any information about this incident is asked to contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867.
