On June 1, 2023, 14-year-old JorDell Da’Shawn Richardson was shot and killed in Aurora, Colorado, after Aurora Police officers responding to a reported convenience-store robbery encountered a group of teenagers outside the store. Officers James Snapp and Roch Gruszeczka pursued JorDell; Snapp tackled him in an alley. During a struggle, Gruszeczka said he saw what he believed was a handgun in JorDell’s waistband and shouted that there was a gun. Gruszeczka fired a single shot that struck JorDell in the abdomen. JorDell was given CPR, taken to a hospital and pronounced dead; the Arapahoe County Coroner ruled the cause of death a gunshot wound and classified it as a homicide.

Investigators recovered a pellet gun made to resemble a semi-automatic pistol; authorities say the teens involved in the robbery may have given JorDell the pellet gun without telling him it was not real. The officers were placed on administrative leave while the Critical Incident Response Team and internal affairs reviewed the case. In September 2023 the district attorney declined to file criminal charges, finding the use of deadly force legally justified, and an October internal investigation cleared the officers of policy violations, though one officer was reprimanded for profanity and another for a delayed body camera activation. The family said they were considering civil action.

Did anyone in Aurora see the encounter or have information about the teens near the store that afternoon?