Colorado attorney general responds to deadly Aurora police shooting

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser says Aurora residents deserve accountability and independent oversight following last month’s deadly police shooting that killed 37-year-old Rajon Belt-Stubblefield.

In a statement, Weiser said he was “deeply saddened by the recent death of a 37-year-old Black man shot by an Aurora Police officer.” He emphasized that, under Colorado law, “Aurora deserves a thorough and independent investigation of this incident. That investigation, called for under Colorado law, is being conducted by the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, led by DA Amy Padden.”

The Aurora Police Department has been under a consent decree since 2021, after state investigators found a pattern of excessive force and racial bias. Weiser said the decree remains essential, particularly in addressing how officers use force.

“It’s an important part of the consent decree that there is a commitment to reflecting on how force was used in a way that is unnecessary or quickly escalated, and to make sure that learning comes from that,” Weiser said. “This consent decree is being managed by a monitor who’s overseeing progress. It’s important that Aurora continue to do that work to fulfill both the letter and the spirit of the decree.”

He says Aurora is under a consent decree because APD did not create and oversee appropriate expectations for responsible behavior, which led to the use of excessive force and the violation of the civil rights of its residents.

He also noted the reforms required include “creating specific guidance on officers’ exercise of discretion during interactions with community members to address perceived or actual bias in policing and improving use-of-force policies and training to avoid unnecessarily escalating encounters with community members.”

Weiser acknowledged frustration from Aurora residents who feel reforms haven’t gone far enough.

“I understand the community frustration, and when an incident like this happens, it is a call for us to ask the very important question, how do we do better?” he said. “That’s the reason we need to have an independent monitor that’s going to provide a long-term oversight solution, and it’s the purpose of the consent decree itself — to make sure that we work to make policing safer in Aurora and to build trust in the community.”

Weiser has previously called for a permanent independent police monitor after the consent decree expires, saying such oversight is critical to accountability and transparency.

“What I’ve called for, and the city has agreed to do, is establish an independent monitor,” he said. “It’s important that the city follow through on that commitment, which is critical to establishing community trust and transparency in policing in Aurora.”

Despite years of reform, Weiser says Aurora still has work to do.

“The consent decree remains a work in progress,” he said. “It’s being overseen by a monitor, and there’s still work to do. We’re going to keep an eye on that. It’s very important that Aurora takes seriously the commitment to review uses of force, to ask what can be learned, and to make sure that it is doing all it can to provide safe and trustworthy policing in Aurora.”