Slain teen’s family demands Aurora police release body-worn camera footage
Aurora Police say they won’t immediately release body-worn camera footage to the family of a 14-year-old who was shot and killed by an APD police officer last Thursday.
Jameco Richardson and Laurie Littlejohn brought a group of around 20 people to the lobby of the APD Monday to demand the footage, which shows the death of their son Jor’Dell Richardson, but police said it won’t be released until the Certified Incident Response Team has completed its investigation.
An internal APD investigation is being run at the same time as the CIRT.
In a news release, Aurora police said one officer shot Richardson during a struggle and that he was carrying a semi-automatic handgun in his waistband. Police said Richardson and multiple suspects threatened a female convenience store clerk at a store on East 8th Avenue and Dayton last Thursday.
The incident began at 4:20 p.m. last when an Aurora Police patrol officer noticed Richardson and several other teens wearing medical masks and hooded sweatshirts approaching the store. As the officer radioed for help, the group went inside and ran out of the store with multiple vape cannisters, according to police.
Aurora Police Chief Art Acevedo said the officers were in uniform and wearing body worn cameras, which were activated. He said Richardson fell down and a struggle ensued.
“They said ‘let go of the gun,’ gave him commands and at one point, the officer discharges his firearm,” said Acevedo. He said officers rendered CPR until the EMTs came and the boy died at the hospital after 5 p.m.
“This is a tragedy all the way around,” he said. “These kids think this is a video game. This is the real world. You don’t get to hit restart.”
Richardson was shot while trying to run away, police said. That’s when the facts start getting muddled. The boy’s family said he was shot in the back, but APD sources said that this account is false.
The autopsy report has not been released.
On a GoFundMe page, Jameco Richardson said police have left the family with no answers and a “profound sense of injustice” over the death of their son, whom they say was full of life and laughter.
“Jor’Dell was not a bad kid; he was simply a victim of unfortunate circumstances, associating with the wrong crowd,” Jameco Richardson wrote. “It is crucial to remember that he is not the demon the APD is portraying him to be.”
Jor’Dell Richardson will have two visitations at Pipken Braswell Funeral Home and Cremation, one on June 15 and another the next day.
Aurora police are still looking for several suspects who they say fled in a stolen KIA minivan. They arrested two others at the scene.
The APD officer who fired the gun is on paid administrative leave. Acevedo said he has been with the department since 2017 and has been with the gang enforcement team since 2019, but did not name him.
Anyone with information about the Kia Sedona, the suspects or the robbery is asked to contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720.913.STOP (7867). Tipsters can remain anonymous.
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