AURORA, Colo. – The three Aurora police officers investigated in the deadly shooting of a 14-year-old boy who allegedly robbed a convenience store in late spring are back to full duty.
Jor’Dell Richardson, 14, was among a group of teens involved in the alleged robbery of a convenience store near E. 8th Ave. and N. Dayton St. on June 1 before he was shot by an officer after a struggle ensued when the teens tried to run away from police.
At a news conference in which body-worn camera of the shooting was shown, Aurora Chief of Police Art Acevedo said that during the alleged robbery attempt, Jor’Dell raised his sweatshirt and displayed a weapon that was on his waistband to the casher. At the same time, a woman then came into the store and was ordered to stay inside by at least two 14-year-old suspects, Acevedo said at the time.
The officers were able to apprehend Jor’Dell and an altercation ensued as the boy reportedly reached for his waistband, according to Acevedo. The teen was then shot by an after he was ordered to put the gun down but failed to do so, the police chief said. Jor’Dell would later die at a hospital.
Police revealed during the release of the body-worn camera footage that the boy was carrying a pellet gun at the time of the shooting.
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The officers involved in the shooting – Aurora Police Sergeant Stephen Cary, Officer Roch Gruszeczka and Officer James Snapp – were cleared of any wrongdoing last month by the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office and were exonerated Tuesday by the Aurora Police Department’s Internal Investigations Bureau.
“While some will vehemently disagree with our findings, it is important for the community to know that the department left no stone unturned to establish the facts in this case,” said Acevedo in a prepared statement. “The department has a legal and moral obligation to base our findings on the evidence, the facts, and the law, and that is what we did in this matter.”
The internal investigation did, however, find that Cary and Snapp did violate policy during the deadly shooting of Jor’Dell:
- Cary failed to immediately activate his body-worn camera when he initially saw the group of teens as he called for additional officers to the scene
- Snapp violated policy by not adhering to proper conduct during the arrest by using profane language during the arrest
“While we cannot change what has occurred, we will continue to work and expand our efforts in the upcoming weeks and months with a myriad of community and government stakeholders to do all that is humanly possible to create an environment that will enhance the safety and opportunities for youth throughout Aurora and our region,” Acevedo said. “We will also continue our efforts to identify all the individuals involved in the robbery leading up to this incident.”
