On the evening of November 14, 2021, 18-year-old David Ibanez was shot and killed at a car meet in northern Aurora near East 33rd Place. A recent Thornton High School graduate who played baseball, golf, football and basketball and had just started working at a pizza shop with plans to become a firefighter, Ibanez was struck at point-blank range after a high school friend, 18-year-old Abel Vargas, was reportedly showing off an AR-15 and mishandled the weapon. A friend drove Ibanez to a nearby hospital, but he died shortly after arrival. His mother, Aquilina Ibanez, identified him by tattoo and birthmarks and has called the shooting a tragic accident.

Aurora police arrested Abel Vargas on November 16, 2021; he faces a manslaughter charge and the 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case. The family has urged greater awareness of gun safety to try to prevent similar tragedies.

Does anyone have information about the car meet or the events that led up to that night?