No criminal charges for Aurora police in Jor'Dell Richardson's death, sources say
Sources tell CBS News Colorado that the 18th Judicial District attorney will not charge Aurora police officers in the death of 14-year-old Jor'Dell Richardson. Sources tell CBS News Colorado Investigator Brian Maass that the teen's family has been notified.
Body-worn camera video showed an Aurora police officer chasing and shooting the 14-year-old.
Aurora Police Officer Roch Gruszeczka and another officer are seen chasing the teen into an alley and tackling the teen before he is shot.
Aurora police initially said Jor'Dell was armed and robbed a convenience store on June 1. A sergeant in Aurora police's gang unit saw a group of five to seven teens wearing masks and donning hoods from hooded jackets about 4:20 p.m., according to police.
That sergeant called for backup, went into the alley behind the strip plaza, and saw a dark Kia minivan. The sergeant ran the license plate and the van was reported stolen. The van started to leave and that sergeant began following them as other gang unit members arrived near the scene.
Officers chased one of the teens wearing a mask and hoodie who was said to have a handgun and had just robbed a nearby mini-mart and stolen several vape cartridges. As he was running, he fell to the ground and then began struggling with officers.
One of the other teens was arrested without incident but Richardson who was armed, refused orders from the officers and one of them shot him, firing one round.
Officers found what was later determined to be a BB gun in Jor'Dell's waistband, but Aurora Police Chief Art Acevedo showed photos of a handgun and BB gun side-by-side to demonstrate their similar appearance during a news conference.
CBS News Colorado did not post the video, as it could be upsetting to some viewers, but those who choose to watch it can do so on Aurora police's YouTube page. Viewer discretion is advised.
Lawyers representing Jor'Dell's family said at the time the videos were just more evidence of the need for transparency and accountability on the part of Aurora police.
The 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office released this statement: The 18th Judicial DA's Office met with Jor'Dell Richardson's family Thursday to update them on our review of the officer-involved shooting. They provided us with information they asked us to consider before announcing a final charging decision. When there is an official decision to release, we will notify both the public and members of the media accordingly.
