The 20-year-old man shot to death by Aurora police after holding a family hostage earlier this year told negotiators in the final minutes of the standoff that he was saving four bullets for the officers who might try to arrest him, according to a summary released Monday.
District Attorney Don Quick concluded that the eight officers who fired at Aaron Williams were justified, saying Williams was armed and pointing a revolver at police when he jumped out the window of an apartment in the 1500 block of Emporia Street.
The case is the last of four fatal Aurora police shootings that occurred earlier this year to be ruled justified by the district attorney, meaning officers will not face criminal charges.
The 18th judicial district attorney’s office, which handles cases in the Arapahoe County portion of Aurora, already cleared officers in the three other cases.
All four shootings now are under internal review by the Police Department to determine whether any department policies were violated.
The eight officers cleared Monday include one who was shot in the foot and leg as he exchanged gunfire with Williams late on March 17.
The others fired at Williams early on the morning of March 18, after he held the family of four hostage for nearly eight hours.
Officers spoke with Williams several times after his mother gave them his cellphone number, but were not able to locate him until about 5:30 a.m., when a tenant opened his door and told officers that a man with a gun had locked himself inside a back bedroom.
Williams only exited the apartment after police threw gas canisters inside, forcing him out.
He was shot nine times.
At the time, Williams had a warrant for his arrest on a charge of possession of a weapon by a prior offender.
He had a previous conviction for conspiracy to commit burglary and was twice adjudicated delinquent as a juvenile, both times for weapons violations, according to the district attorney’s office.
Sara Burnett: 303-954-1661 or sburnett@denverpost.com
