AURORA, Colo. — Back in February, a man in Aurora shot and killed a woman at a local church and injured two pastors, according to police.
A few days later, that same suspect, Jose de Jesus Montoya Villa, went on a crime spree where he robbed a liquor store and carjacked two people, police later said.
One of those carjacking victims spoke with Denver7. She said she's still stuck without a vehicle — eight months later.
"They ended up shooting him in my vehicle," said Tiffany Randon, who was one of the victims in the armed rampage.
Months later, she's still dealing with the mental and physical impacts.
"I just got my car, I hadn't made one car payment. Now here I am, public transportation, Ubers, no money in my pocket because it's $100 a week to get to and from work," added Randon. "Not only is his bad aura inside that car, but his DNA is all over it, I've seen it."
The city did provide her with gift cards to get around but she will not be able to get her car back because it was uninsured at the time.
Her story is a cautionary one, with Aurora police saying their hands are now tied.
Agent Matthew Longshore, a public information officer for Aurora police provided the following statement to Denver7 about the incident:
On Feb. 9, 2022, officers confronted an armed man in the area of South Parker Road and East Jamison Avenue after reports of a carjacking about 10 minutes earlier. The suspect, who posed a danger to the public, was in the stolen vehicle when he pointed a weapon at officers who were involved in the incident. They fired shots at him, striking and killing him. The man was transported to the hospital and died a short time later. Here is a link to that news release: https://www.auroragov.org/blog/One.aspx?portalId=2869361&postId=18332772&portletAction=viewpost[auroragov.org]
Our Victim Services Unit began assisting the victim of this carjacking and, in a measure of good will, was prepared to aid the victim with either paying or partially paying her car insurance deductible for damages the car endured in this incident. It was then learned that the victim did not have valid car insurance. APD Victim Services Unit aided the victim financially, which included $400 in Uber gift cards for her immediate transportation needs since her vehicle became evidence in the incident. With the help of APD, and the Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance (COVA), the victim was also provided more than $2,000 in assistance funds.
Additionally, shortly after the incident, the Victim Services Unit informed the victim about the need for her to file a claim with the city of Aurora’s Risk Management office for consideration if she wanted to seek additional compensation. We understand she contacted Risk Management in March. Staff left her a voicemail message to assist with the claims process. As of this afternoon, the victim has not filed a claim with Risk Management related to the incident. It is important to note that, in accordance with the Governmental Immunity Act, the statute of limitations to file a claim is 182 days. Since the incident occurred in February, more than 182 days ago, the window to file a claim has closed.
We understand that being a car theft victim is a frustrating ordeal. The Aurora Police Department and city of Aurora attempts to offer reasonable accommodations for difficult situations. Victim assistance funds are very limited – for every agency statewide – not just for the Aurora Police Department. Victim assistance funds are not meant for long-term support or for large expenses such as vehicles or property damage. Thankfully, our Victim Services Unit was able to access our emergency grant funds to assist the victim, and we hope they were helpful in a challenging time.
A reality Tiffany must face while coming to terms with what she went through.
"I will see this man's face for the rest of my life. I will feel that pain inside for the rest of my life," she said.