Space Force sergeant jailed on murder charge after chasing and shooting teens, police say
A Denver-area man accused of chasing and fatally shooting a teenager he suspected of trying to steal his car is an active-duty U.S. Space Force sergeant and Army war veteran, court documents show.
The 27-year-old man arrested July 6 on suspicion of first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder after the previous night’s shooting near his home in the Denver suburb of Aurora. A 13-year-old boy was also wounded.
The confrontation began around 11:15 p.m. July 5, when an alarm went off on the couple’s Hyundai Elantra. When the man and his wife went to investigate, they found damage to the car’s door handles. They then reportedly heard another car alarm going off and saw a Kia Rio driving away.
The man, who was armed with a 9mm handgun, got in the Hyundai and followed the other car, Aurora police said.
About five blocks away, the Kia crashed into a home’s fence. The man who was following it called 911 at 11:23 p.m., telling a dispatcher that he’d chased down car thieves, who had crashed, and that he had “shot back at them,” according to an Adams County District Court affidavit reviewed by the Denver Post.
Police arriving at the scene around 11:30 p.m. said they found five bullet casings in the Hyundai and one teen with gunshot wounds in his back and head; he was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Another teen, a 13-year-old, ran to a relative’s house nearby and was taken to a hospital with a gunshot wound in his back.
Police didn’t find weapons in the Kia or any other evidence supporting the claim that the teens fired at the man, according to the affidavit.
The man later told police he “heard gunshots but did not see a muzzle flash” and that he shot with his right hand out the driver’s side window of the Hyundai while steering with his left hand, the affidavit said. He said “he was concerned the suspect vehicle would return to his home,” the affidavit said.
His wife also called 911 around the time of the shooting. She told a police dispatcher she heard gunfire and that her husband “was out on the streets looking around,” according to the affidavit. She said it was the third time someone had attempted to steal their car.
The suspect served in the U.S. Army before transferring to the Space Force as part of the nation’s “global war on terrorism.” He’s now a sergeant posted at the Buckley Space Force Base, in Aurora. Military records show he received combat service and other medals following two Army tours in Afghanistan.
At Buckley, “he serves as a signals intelligence analyst. … he uses satellites to get data and analyze it,” spokesperson Lt. Sarah Skelton said.
Military judicial officials issued a statement saying that “the military’s decision on prosecution or discharge will be made after the investigation is completed.”
The man’s bail has been set at $500,000. A court hearing is scheduled for July 13.