On Aug. 30, an Aurora police officer shot and killed Rajon Belt-Stubblefield during a traffic stop. This is the third officer-involved shooting in Aurora this year.
The shooting has prompted renewed calls for police reform and accountability, especially as it fell on the 6th anniversary of the high-profile death of Elijah McClain, which also stemmed from a case of police brutality in Aurora.
On Tuesday, Aurora Chief of Police Todd Chamberlain held a press conference where he defended the officer’s actions as necessary self-defense. The Aurora police Department (APD) said that Belt-Stubblefield “refused to listen to the officer’s commands” after he tossed a gun from his car onto the grass nearby.
“As the suspect moved toward the officer, looking back at the weapon, the officer struck the suspect in an attempt to de-escalate the situation and prevent him from focusing on the weapon and reaching that weapon,” Chamberlain said during the press conference.
Footage captured by a bystander shows Belt-Stubblefield turning and gesturing to his son after he approached the officer. The officer proceeds to pistol-whip Belt-Stubblefield. The officer then shoots Belt-Stubblefield several times.
Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman has yet to speak on the incident, but Jennifer Soules, a spokesperson for the city, told the Colorado Times Recorder: “Any loss of life in our community is a tragedy. The city of Aurora, which includes the Aurora Police Department, is dedicated to a thorough investigation. It would be inappropriate for the mayor’s office to comment about an ongoing police investigation. As is protocol, an internal administrative investigation is taking place, as well as an external Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) investigation, led by the 18th Judicial District.”
MiDian Shofner, an Aurora resident and CEO of The Epitome of Black Excellence and Partnership, which has filed a federal suit against Aurora over its suspension of in-person meetings and public comment in the wake of the death of Kilyn Lewis, was in one of the cars that was hit during the Aug. 30 incident.
Shofner said that the shooting is part of a pattern of police brutality involving the Aurora Police Department.
“There has been a consistent pattern of watching the police target melanated communities and the response to Rajon’s killing has been something that has thrust everyone into a deeper awareness of that problem and these modern day lynchings that we continue to see cultivated inside of the Aurora police culture,” Shofner said. “You see an eruption in the community because of how egregious these shootings continue to be.”
Shofner said that she is disappointed that more elected leaders haven’t spoken out in regards to the incident.
“I will definitely honor the elected officials that have spoke up, that have used their voice, understanding that they have a platform and access to policies that can give us different outcomes. There have been very few. We have not heard from Mayor Mike Coffman, and when we do, we will likely hear him somehow try to justify or leverage language that alludes to how we are better off without a Rajon Belt-Stubblefield in our community. … I’m speaking from lived experience. We will not see the majority of the leaders on Aurora City Council speak boldly and honestly and offer humanity in this situation. We will see deflection. We will hear their silence and be subject to their dehumanization of an entire people.”
Shofner said that Aurora needs leadership that will break the narrative cycle that occurs every time an incident like the one that happened over the weekend occurs and listen to the community.
“You can’t find an answer to a problem you refuse to admit exists,” Shofner said. “There are people that have been experts in what it means to bury their son or their father, husband, or brother because they’ve been shot and killed by the police. No one wants to be an expert in that story, but in Aurora, citizens are experts in that narrative. If we want to see something different, we need to recognize and acknowledge their expertise and start infighting them into the space of finding a resolution.”
Shofner was critical of Aurora Chief of Police Todd Chamberlain’s characterization of Belt-Stubblefield as a dangerous criminal.
“Chamberlain steps into this space, and he narrated his ‘update to the community’, alleging that this was through the lens of transparency,” Shofner said of Chamberlain’s press briefings. “What we saw from Chamberlain was the same tone that somehow Rajon causes this to happen to him. Rajon was unarmed when he was shot point blank by officer Matthew Neely. There is no way to evade that reality, but what we see from a Chief of Police, who touts that he wants to be transparent, we constantly see that preface followed by dehumanization and criminalization of that person that they are supposed to be serving. We know that Chamberlain, when he gives a press update, he’s not updating the community, he’s talking to the jury pool.”
The officer punched Belt-Stubblefield when his back was turned, escalating the situation. Chamberlain said in the recent news conference that the officer “punched the suspect” to distract him from asking people at the scene, including his 18-year-old adult son, to go retrieve the firearm he tossed after the traffic collisions.”
APD did not release the name of the officer, but Shofner, who was on the scene, identified the officer as Matthew Neely. A spokesperson for APD did say that the officer had been involved in 10 prior uses of force over his career with APD and that they were “low-level responses to resistance” which would include holds and arrest control techniques not resulting in injury.
“The chief of police is trying to convince us that, somehow, when you punch someone, that’s a de-escalation tactic,” Shofner said. “He made sure we heard that Rajon Belt-Stubblefield had a firearm, instead of admitting that when someone throws a gun away from himself, he disarms himself when the police are in his presence. Todd Chamberlain is creating a narrative. And he’s talking to the jury pool, not updating the community.”
Belt-Stubblefield did possess a firearm, but he threw the gun away from him after he exited the vehicle and began interacting with the police.
The Aurora Police Department has continued to shift responsibility for the shooting to Belt-Stubblefield.
A spokesperson for APD told the Colordo Times Recorder: “As the chief said yesterday, critical incidents are a two-way street. The suspect had ample opportunity to comply with the officer. Instead, the suspect eluded a traffic stop, caused two vehicle crashes and, over the course of several minutes, ignored numerous directions to get on the ground, all while becoming increasingly aggressive and violent towards our officer.”
The Colorado Times Recorder has submitted a request for the body camera footage associated with the shooting.
An investigation by the Colorado Attorney General’s office found that the Aurora Police Department has demonstrated a pattern of violating the city’s residents legal rights, racial bias, and excessive force.
On Sept. 1, Aurora residents held a candlelight vigil to honor Belt-Stubblefield’s memory and held an emergency community meeting to discuss the event.
Gianina Horton, a candidate for Aurora City Council Ward I, was in attendance.
“There was a gathering [on Monday] at 4 p.m. at Restoration Church it was really an opportunity to come together and talk through the history of the Aurora Police Department,” said Horton. “A lot of elders shared how this is not the first time they’ve been in rooms expressing concerns, demanding change, and wanting to mobilize when it comes to Aurora Police Department’s targeting and killing specifically of black boys and men.”
Horton said that community members raised several steps the city could take to address police violence.
“It was really a discussion on making sure that there are resources for youth and deterring youth violence all the way to police accountability, and [people at the meeting] were very critical of the consent decree as is,” Horton added.
“Seeing where the city is at with the consent decree would be really beneficial for overall community knowledge,” Horton added. “What was shared yesterday was the discrepancies from the consent decree and the independent monitor regarding the progress of APD when it comes to policy changes and implementation. Every single year since I started working on the consent decree on the community advisory council, before I resigned last September, there has been a death of a Black boy or Black man, or both. It’s very concerning that we are seeing something lost in translation from the progress on policies and implementation and what’s actually happening with patrol officers out on the streets in communities of color and in poor parts of Aurora.”
Horton said that she believes that Aurora’s city government could be doing more to promote independent oversight of the police department. An independent review board was recently ended by the City Council due to vacancies, but Horton said she would have liked to see more movement on filling those vacancies.
“There’s a demand for APD to release the unedited body camera videos. I put out a concern infographic on my socials about the press release that Chief [Todd] Chamberlain did on the night of August 30th and the dangerous spin of narrative and speculative storytelling that does not bode well for community to trust APD, or even the 18th judicial district, to conduct a truly independent review of the videos, evidence, and timeline. It’s a really rough place for communities to be in again especially, since it’s six years almost to the day since Elijah McClain was killed,’ said Horton
“I think the chief should be held more accountable to community in terms of attending and meeting with community and public forum spaces. I do think there needs to be a justification of how he’s pulling data, why he’s talking about data the way he does, because I know he’s really big on that piece. The other piece is I believe city council needs to do their due diligence, especially after this particular shooting, with it being the on the eve of the sixth year of Elijah McClain, that leadership from [Mayor] Coffman and other elected officials have a dialog with the community. We’ve seen the elimination of public comments and moving [city council meetings] online, this a complete disrespect and distancing from the community. I do think that Aurora needs an independent civilian oversight agency, independent from local politics, regardless of party, independent from the city manager, that’s well-funded enough to be able to be a bridge between the community and law enforcement.”
Other city council candidates expressed that they would like to see more movement by Aurora’s city government on police accountability.
“We want to make sure that we convey our condolences to the family. It’s a tough place, and we need some updates to be shared with the community. We are kind of just waiting on more information at this point,” said Rob Andrews, a candidate for one of Aurora’s at-large city council seats.
Andrews said that he believes that Aurora needs an effective independent monitor and that the city “needs to take a look a look at our public safety approach, not just investing in our policing, but in our mental health services, youth resources, and look into supportive responses like the Support Team Assisted Response program [in Denver].”
Another candidate for one of Aurora’s at-large council seats, Alli Jackson, said that police accountability was a major priority for her.
“Elijah McClain is someone who I will always carry in my heart and this recent incident has really been a catalyst for more people to demand change in the way Aurora policing,” said Jackson.
Jackson said that she would like to see APD introduce hiring screenings for officers for racial bias and mental health, as well as additional training on de-escalation.
Jackson warned that the APD has continued to spread a narrative that paints victims of police brutality as criminals.
“The Aurora Police Department has a script to paint black men they kill as criminals as dangerous. Rajon is unfortunately one of many, we’ve seen this pattern play out with numerous cases in the past,” said Jackson.
APD has a history of fatal shootings, particularly of black men. Back in May, an Aurora police officer shot and killed an unarmed man named Rashaud Johnson. Last year, police shot killed Kilyn Lewis and Kory Dillard who were both unarmed.
According to a report from the Attorney General’s office in 2021, APD officers used force against non-white racial and ethnic groups 2.5 times more often then they did against white people.
As a result, the city entered into a consent decree to address racial bias. However, many Aurora community members say that APD has not demonstrated progress in police accountability or transparency.
