AURORA, Colo. — A woman who lives at a troubled Aurora apartment building that is at the center of a national immigration debate is speaking out about what she heard during a home invasion Monday night.
The tenant, who has lived at the Edge of Lowry for two years, agreed to speak about what happened but preferred to keep her identity private for her protection.
The woman said she first realized something was wrong when her 11-year-old daughter woke her up in the middle of the night.
“She said she was scared, there were loud noises, and she couldn’t sleep," she said in Spanish. “You could hear [them] talking, yelling."
The tenant added that she was shocked to wake up to Tuesday morning's chaotic scene outside her home.
“I was not expecting to wake up this morning and take my daughter to school and see all of the police," she tells Denver7.
According to Aurora police, more than a dozen suspects were detained following an armed home invasion and kidnapping at the complex overnight.
It happened just before 8:45 p.m. Monday. Officials said two people – a man and a woman – were accosted by approximately 13 to 15 armed individuals before they were kidnapped and taken to a different unit within the same building.
Aurora
Feds investigating home invasion, kidnapping at Edge of Lowry complex in Aurora
The two victims are being treated for non-life-threatening injuries, including a stab wound sustained by the man during the encounter, police said.
Denver7 has been in contact with that man, who we have previously interviewed at the complex.
The man was too shaken to sit down for an interview with Denver7 on Tuesday but said he would speak when he was ready.
The tenant we spoke to says she's been trying to find a new place to live but has yet to be able to get into a new apartment.
“We just want to live good, but we haven’t been able to because of what’s happening at the apartments," she said, “We’ve applied to 2 or 3 apartment complexes, but they’ve denied our applications; I think it’s because of what’s happened at these apartments."
As the deadline for the building closure looms, the woman said she's afraid of being evicted before she finds a home.
“That’s my fear, not being able to find a new place and getting kicked out," she said.
Though the timeline is uncertain, the apartments’ closure is unlikely to occur before mid-February. After the hearing, Peter Schulte, Aurora’s city attorney, told our partners at The Denver Post that residents would be given at least 30 days’ notice before the building is closed.
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