AURORA, Colo. — The search continues for a man who Aurora police say killed four people early Sunday morning, including three members of the same family.
The shooting happened shortly after 2 a.m. at a house near E. 10th Avenue and Geneva Street after three of the victims arrived home from a party, according to family.
“When they got to their house, the door was open. ... It was all cracked and open,” said Ubaldo Codina, a relative.
Based on a conversation he had with his niece — who is one of the surviving victims — 21-year-old Joseph Castorena broke into the home and ambushed the family, shooting and killing his ex-girlfriend’s twin sister, his sister’s husband and the sisters’ father.
Codina identified the twin sister as Mariana, her husband as Ken, and the father as Jesus.
He is also accused of killing a man staying in an RV in the backyard of the home.
“The renter came out to see what was going on, and, boom, he shot him dead, too,” he said.
Codina says Castorena also tried to kill his ex-girlfriend but was unsuccessful. She is OK, as are Mariana and Ken’s two young girls who were in the home at the time of the shooting.
Following the shooting, Castorena ran from the scene, and officers began an hours-long search through the neighborhood to find him.
“We have to assume he is armed, and we are very concerned and want to do everything we can to find him and take him into custody as soon as possible,” APD Interim Chief Daniel Oates said.
Codina said the gruesome crime stemmed from an ongoing custody dispute between Castorena and his ex-girlfriend, the mother of their two kids. Family in Texas is taking care of them.
“She said she was scared of him, that if she will call the cops or she will do anything, that he was going to kill them,” Codina said.
Records show a court had granted Castorena’s ex-girlfriend and her father a protection order against him a week ago. Aurora police told Denver7 there were at least five calls for service to the house this month alone, including a court order violation a day after the protection orders were granted.
“We're all devastated, man. I mean, we're all hurting very bad,” Codina said.
As of Sunday evening, Castorena remained on the run. If you have any information about his whereabouts, contact police.