Phoenix Tyler Day, 13, was shot and killed on the evening of March 25, 2023, after a dispute that began inside the Town Center at Aurora mall moved to the parking lot. The altercation reportedly started in the food court near closing time and spilled outside; Phoenix was struck twice just after 8 p.m. An off-duty police officer began CPR before paramedics transported him to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Police described the shooting as stemming from a confrontation between two groups of teenagers who had reportedly agreed to fight in the movie theater parking lot across the street when an unknown person fired the shots. Phoenix had moved to Colorado 13 months before his death; his family said he enjoyed basketball, video games, and music and was working with a mentor. As of March 2025, no arrests had been made, investigators had released surveillance photos of two persons of interest, and a reward was offered for information leading to an arrest.