AURORA, Colo. — Aurora police shot and injured a teenage boy early Monday morning, APD Chief of the Investigations Division Mark Hildebrand said.
The teenager was taken to The Medical Center of Aurora with non-life threatening injuries, according to Hildebrand. He was shot in the leg and was expected to be released later Monday morning. No officers were injured.
Hildebrand said officers were on patrol when they reported seeing a 16-year-old "prowling" in the area of S. Elkhart Way near E. Mississippi Avenue and Sable Boulevard around 3:15 a.m. The Aurora Police Department has seen a spike in car break-ins and motor vehicle thefts in the area, so officers were conducting what Hildebrand called "hotspot policing" Monday morning. Officers are trying to locate people who may attempt to break into cars to try to intervene and stop them in the act.
The officers attempted to contact the teen they considered suspicious when he took off running from them, according to Hildebrand.
A few minutes later, Aurora police found the teen again hiding behind some vehicles and trees in a parking lot to the north of where they originally saw him. Officers identified themselves as Aurora police and gave orders to the 16-year-old.
He came out from behind the cars and "approached officers at a very fast pace," Hildebrand described. Officers retreated backward to create space, but Aurora police said the teenager continued to come toward officers and did not comply with orders.
That's when an officer fired his gun, hitting the 16-year-old in the leg. When the teen was shot, he threw a knife on the ground, dropped to his knees and then complied with officers' commands.
Watch the full Aurora Police Department news conference in the video player below:
The teenager's parents were notified of what happened. Hildebrand said the Aurora Police Department has dealt with the 16-year-old before.
The entrance to Sunny Side Condominiums was blocked off, but no streets in the area were shut down in response to the shooting, Denver7's Allie Jennerjahn reported.
The 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office Critical Incident Response Team will investigate the shooting, and Aurora police said it will conduct its own internal investigation as well. The officer who shot the teen is on administrative leave, per Aurora Police Department policy.
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