Nearly 100 family members and friends gathered this evening outside the apartment where 10-year-old Auralia Cisneros was killed Monday in a shootout.
The chilly crowd, many of them children with runny noses, placed stuffed animals on the grass and lit candles, while some mourners could be heard crying. Pink and white helium-filled balloons were tied ironically to the yellow “Crime Scene” tape that cordoned off the duplex where Cisneros lived.
“This is a beautiful thing tonight,” said Paul Baca, 27, a cousin of the Cisneros. “But you should put the suspects on the front page of the newspaper instead of all the bad stuff about the family that’s trying to grieve.”
Police continue to look for the two at-large suspects in the case. They said drugs and gang ties contributed to her death.
Police had no new information to release to the public today on the case, spokesman Sonny Jackson said.
Auralia’s parents, Leo “Mickey” Cisneros and Amanda Salas, initially told police they were victims of a drive-by shooting but investigators determined shots were fired from inside the apartment as well as outside.
Family members have said Cisneros fired at the two men — strangers who had knocked on the apartment door — after they opened fire on him.
Family members and friends of the girl have denied that her parents were involved in drugs or gangs, despite photos and materials on that suggest otherwise.
The profile pages, which have since been taken down, included photos of Cisneros pointing a semi-automatic assault rifle at the camera.
Leaders in the southwest Denver neighborhood of Westwood are planning an upcoming community meeting to help residents deal with the tragic shooting death of a 10-year-old girl.
“This is a call to action,” said city councilman Paul Lopez, who represents the area. “It’s to prioritize our resources and to help prevent something like this from happening in the future.”
Lopez said he hopes the meeting will attract parents from the area who can be steered toward educational and support programs to help them keep their kids out of gangs.
He also hopes the meeting will serve as a springboard in helping to create new and positive outlets for the area youth.
“We can’t afford to simply turn the other cheek and expect it to go away,” Lopez said. “It’s a very tragic and devastating situation for a community.”
Lopez said community leaders are still working out details on where and when the meeting will be held, but it will be held in the very near future.
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com.
