Aurora police shot and killed a man early Sunday at an East Colfax Avenue motel after, they say, he came at them with a knife and refused commands to drop it.
The shooting occurred at 3 a.m. in front of unit No. 33 in the Boll-E-Ana Motel parking lot, 12016 E. Colfax Ave.
Police were called to the motel by reports that an armed man was on the property, said Aurora police spokesman Marcus Dudley.
Three officers confronted the man in the parking lot, told him to put the knife down and then shot him when he did not comply, Dudley said.
The man’s name was not released Sunday afternoon because police had not confirmed his identity.
The officers were not injured during the incident.
They were placed on administrative leave with pay, which is standard procedure in an officer- involved shooting.
Occupants of the motel said they heard six to eight shots that sounded like firecrackers but did not know anything about the man who was killed.
Walter Smith, who was staying with a friend at the motel, said he had seen the man just before the shooting while walking to a bus stop across the street.
The man was headed toward the motel, Smith said. He said he didn’t see a knife at that time.
Smith was on the opposite side of East Colfax from the motel when the incident took place.
“I didn’t hear (the police) yell; they just walked up and started shooting,” Smith said. “The cops didn’t say ‘drop down’ or anything. I probably heard eight shots. I said to myself, ‘Whoever they are, they are dead.’ ”
Smith questioned why police did not use a nonlethal device, such as a Taser, to subdue the man.
Dudley said using a Taser or other device was not an option because the man was coming at them quickly, according to the officers on the scene.
“You do what you have to do to neutralize events,” Dudley said. “There was no time to try other means.”
Staff writer Felisa Cardona can be reached at 303-820-1219 or fcardona@denverpost.com.
