Aurora Police Chief: Communication Crucial In Times Like This

DENVER (CBS4)- Aurora's police chief is responding to the shootings in recent days saying that communication is crucial in times like this.

A large group of demonstrators gathered in Civic Center Park starting on Thursday and vowed to stay there for 135 hours to remember the 135 lives lost to police shootings.

The group participated in a peaceful protest on Thursday night and continued their sit-in on Friday.

An Army veteran killed by Dallas police after the sniper slayings of five officers during a protest march refused to surrender and told authorities that he was upset about the police shootings of two black men earlier this week and wanted to exterminate whites, "especially white officers," officials said Friday.

The man identified as 25-year-old Micah Johnson was among the suspects in the attack that marked the deadliest day for U.S. law enforcement since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. In all, 12 officers were shot.

Those shootings happened after a black man was shot and killed by police in Baton Rouge, La. and another man was shot in his vehicle in Minneapolis.

Several organizations have gathered at the park in solidarity with families of the men killed in Louisiana and Minnesota. They are asking for reform of the police departments and hope to grab the attention of lawmakers.

Those in the park on Friday afternoon included members of the Greater Metro Denver Ministerial Alliance, NAACP of Denver, the Urban League, Black Lives Matter and others.

The Aurora Police Department is one agency that has experienced multiple officer-involved shootings in the past year.

Aurora Police Chief Nick Metz said he spoke with his officers and said in times like this, communication between police and the public is crucial.

"I think when we're talking about police and the community, that everyone just needs to take a step back and take a really, really deep breath and really recognize what the situation has done. Especially last night's situation. I look at last night's situation as a terrorist act. I don't see what these individuals did as a representation of the protesters and those people who are trying to effect change," said Metz.

On Thursday night, the Denver Police Department tweeted its condolences to the Dallas Police Department after nearly a dozen officers were shot, five of them died.

In:
• Aurora Police Department
• Black Lives Matter