Aurora suspect faces 5 counts of attempted murder of a police officer after Colorado shootout

An Aurora man faces five counts of attempted murder of a police officer following a shooting Thanksgiving night. The shooting happened in the 900 block of South Dawson Way.  

Officers found the suspect, Arnadin Varupa, fired multiple rounds in and around the parking lot of an apartment complex.

One neighbor found a bullet hole in his ceiling the next day.

"The suspect was armed with a weapon that had an extended magazine capable of holding up to 30 rounds. The potential for harm was incredibly high," said Aurora PD Chief Todd Chamberlain.

The incident began around 9:21 p.m., when multiple 911 calls reported shots fired at the apartment complex. Minutes later, the suspect was spotted at a bus bench across the street.

Officers began to discuss options for de-escalating the situation. However, things quickly took a violent turn.

"Around 9:55 p.m., officers made contact with the suspect, verbally instructing him to raise his hands and approach them," Chamberlain said. "The suspect immediately turned on the officers and fired multiple rounds in their direction. Some of those rounds struck our police vehicles."

 One of the rounds fired by the suspect struck the hood of a police vehicle. Officers were inside the vehicle at the time.

 "Gunfire continued between the suspect and our officers, and at one point, one of the rounds fired by our officers struck the suspect in the arm," Chamberlain said. "He immediately dropped to the ground."

The suspect was taken into custody without additional incident.

"Our officers used every tool they could to de-escalate the situation, but the suspect's response was immediate gunfire. Thankfully, no officers or community members were injured in this exchange."

After Varupa's arrest, it was revealed that he had an extensive criminal history, including prior arrests for attempted homicide and robbery.

"Our officers were dealing with an individual who was not only violent but willing to engage law enforcement unprovoked," Chamberlain stated. "This man had a demonstrated propensity for violence, and his willingness to shoot at our officers was chilling."

Varupa was arrested on five counts of attempted murder of a police officer.

The investigation is ongoing, with both an internal review and an external investigation led by the Critical Incident Response Team from the 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office.

"We are committed to full transparency in this investigation," said Chamberlain. "This includes both an internal review of how the incident unfolded and a thorough external review to verify the circumstances and ensure accountability."

Authorities are asking anyone with information about the incident to come forward.