A man sitting in a car at the Cottonwood Trail Apartments, 10756 E. Virginia Ave., in Aurora was shot and killed Wednesday morning.
Bob Friel, spokesman for the Aurora Police Department, said officers received a call about 7:30 a.m. When they arrived at the complex, they found the man sitting in a white SUV with the motor running.
“The man was unresponsive,” Friel said. “We believe he was in the SUV when shot.”
“We do not believe it was a suicide,” he added.
Arapahoe County coroner Dr. Mike Doberson, who performed an autopsy, said he has classified the death as a homicide.
Doberson said the victim, whose identity is not known, was shot once in the head and would have died within seconds.
Nelson Vasquez, who lives in the complex with his wife and two children, said he heard the horn in the car — which was parked in front of his apartment — blaring for 30 to 40 seconds about 7 a.m.
He said that a short time later, Aurora detectives knocked on his door and told him the man in the car was dead.
Vasquez said he could see bullet holes in the car windows and that some of the glass had shattered.
He said he did not hear any shots and was shocked when detectives told him the man had been shot and killed so near to his apartment.
Doberson said the victim, who was in the driver’s seat, may have fallen against the steering wheel and horn when initially shot, then slumped back.
Friel said numerous witnesses have come forward.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
