Aurora Police News
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The Aurora Police News Blog was created in 2016 as a new way to share news and information from the Aurora Police Department with the community we serve. It is maintained by the staff of the Public Information Officer. 

Public Information Officer Staff:

Sergeant Faith Goodrich - Unit Supervisor
Agent Matthew Longshore - Public Information Officer
Joe Moylan - Public Information Officer
Sydney Edwards - Public Information Officer 

To reach a member of the Public Information Officer call 720.432.5095 or email [email protected]. If you are a member of the public and you have a question, general request, comment or concern, please email [email protected].

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The men and women of the Aurora Police Department are committed to making a Aurora a safer place everyday.

DISCLAIMER: Information is subject to change as case investigations proceed. Individuals arrested on the basis of probable cause have not been charged. All arrestees are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law. 


Recent Posts
March 2018 - Posts

UPDATE: Jospeh Lugo (DOB 09/19/1978) has been arrested in connection with the homicide and shooting that occurred on March 20, 2018 at 1097 S. Evanston Way.

This incident remains an active investigation. If you have any information in regards to this incident, please contact Detective Doug Kasten at (303) 739-6107.

Joseph Lugo

Officer Kenneth Forrest
Public Information Officer
Media Relations Unit
(720) 432-5095

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Information previously released on March 20, 2018

A suspect has been identified in the shooting that left a 21-year-old man dead in Aurora on March 20, 2018.  Joseph Goudy Lugo (DOB 09/19/1978) is wanted on charges of First Degree Murder for shooting two victims outside of an apartment building located at 1097 S. Evanston Way, on March 20, 2018, at about 8:15 A.M.   Lugo is 5'9", 245 lbs., with long black hair, brown eyes, a tattoo of a name on the left front of his forehead and smaller tattoos (also names) on his left and right temples.  Potros Mabany (DOB 8/13/1996) has been identified by the Arapahoe County Coroner’s Office as the 21-year-old who was killed in yesterday’s shooting.  The other adult male, who was also shot at the aforementioned location and fled to a nearby 7 Eleven, has since been released from an area hospital. 

We depend on the Aurora community to be an integral part of combating crime, as the community employs thousands of eyes and ears that are not those of police officers.  The Aurora Police Department is therefore asking the public for assistance in locating Lugo because his whereabouts are currently unknown.  Lugo should be considered armed and incredibly dangerous.  If any member of the public sees Lugo, please call 911 immediately and do not approach him.  Tipsters can also remain anonymous and be eligible for a cash reward of up to $2,000 by calling Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at (720) 913-7867.

 

There have been some questions as to why the Aurora Police Department did not initially release the identity of Lugo.  We would like to remind the public that protecting the integrity of active investigations remains a priority and is paramount to successfully solving criminal cases.  We also want to reiterate that the safety of the public is at the core of our very mission and is a great consideration throughout investigations where suspects are at-large. Often times, identifying suspects prematurely can send dangerous criminals on the run and can give them a desperate edge.  We thank the public for their patience and we want to ensure you that there is much work being done behind the scenes that is aimed at getting dangerous criminals off the street and bring justice to victims. 

Joseph LugoJoseph Lugo


Officer Bill Hummel
Public Information Officer
Media Relations Unit
(720) 432-5095




Information previously released on March 20, 2018

On March 20, 2018 at approximately 08:15 a.m., Aurora Police Officers responded to the area E. Mississippi Ave. and S. Sable Blvd. on the report of a shooting.

Upon arrival to the area, it was learned that two adult male victims were suffering from apparent gunshot wounds in the area.  One male victim was outside of an apartment building at 1097 S. Evanston Way and the other male victim had arrived at the 7 Eleven located at 14593 E Mississippi Ave.  It is believed that both men were shot at 1097 S. Evanston Way and then one of the males walked to 7 Eleven on foot after being shot.

 

 

Both males were transported to an area hospital.  The male who was located at 7 Eleven is in stable condition while the other victim, who was located at 1097 S. Evanston Way, was pronounced deceased.  Out of an abundance of caution, Gateway High School was placed on lockdown when officers initially responded to the report of a shooting, due to the geographical proximity of the school.  It has been determined that this shooting has no nexus to Gateway High School and no parties involved were Gateway High School Students.  

 

The Aurora Major Crimes/ Homicide Unit responded to the location to resume the criminal investigation.  Detectives are working diligently to identify who is responsible for the shooting.  We are asking members of the public to come forward with any information pertaining to this incident.  Members of the public should report any known information to Detective Doug Kasten at (303) 739-6107.  Tipsters can also remain anonymous and be eligible for a cash reward of up to $2,000 by calling Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at (720) 913-7867.

 

The deceased victim will be identified by the Arapahoe County Coroner’s Office at a later date, pending the notification of next of kin.  There is no further information available for public release at this time.

Officer Bill Hummel
Public Information Officer
Media Relations Unit
(720) 432-5095

 

Posted by [email protected]  On Mar 28, 2018 at 4:09 PM
  
UPDATE: The Aurora Police Major Crimes/Homicide Unit has made an arrest of Corderio Lark (DOB 08/17/1986) in connection with the homicide that occurred on March 24, 2018 at 1802 S Havana St. Lark’s mugshot is displayed below.

Earlier today, the Arapahoe County Coroner’s Office identified George Craig Pappas (DOB 09/11/1956) as the adult male victim.

The case is now in the hands of the 18th Judicial District and therefore further public inquiries into the details of the case will be referred to their organization.

If you have any information in regards to this incident, please contact Detective Jamie Krieger at (303) 739-6113.

Corderio Lark

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Information previously released on March 24, 2018


On March 24, 2018 at approximately 6:29 a.m. Aurora Police Officers responded to a report of an unresponsive male in the area of S Havana St and E Colorado Ave.

Officers quickly arrived on scene and located an adult male suffering from apparent trauma in the parking lot of a U-Haul business located at 1802 S Havana St. The male was pronounced deceased on scene.

The Aurora Major Crimes/Homicide Unit responded to the location and are actively investigating this incident as a homicide. 

We are asking members of the public to come forward with any information related to this incident. Members of the public should report any known information to Detective Jamie Krieger at (303) 739-6113. Tipsters can also remain anonymous and be eligible for a cash reward of up to $2,000 by calling Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at (720) 913-7867.

The identity of the victim is not being released at this time and will be released by the Arapahoe County Coroner's Office once the victim has been positively identified and his next of kin have been notified.

Officer Kenneth Forrest
Public Information Officer
Media Relations Unit
303.739.6616
Posted by [email protected]  On Mar 27, 2018 at 3:45 PM
  

On March 16, 2018 at approximately 2:45 p.m., Aurora Police Officers responded from around the entire city to the Town Center at Aurora Mall located at 14200 E. Alameda Ave. on the report of shots fired from inside the mall.

As Officers quickly arrived on scene, it was discovered that this was not an active shooter situation but rather an isolated disturbance between three adult male parties.  Through the course of the investigation, it was learned that a physical fight took place between parties and at least one gunshot was fired as a result of the physical altercation.  All three parties fled from within the mall and were quickly apprehended outside of the mall.  Two of the three male parties were transported to area hospitals to be evaluated for minor injuries.

Certain parts of the mall were briefly secured or evacuated during this incident but a speedy resolution to the incident allowed the mall to stay open for business.  The Aurora Police Department would like to note that the strong working relationship between the police department and mall management was evident during yesterday’s incident.  Police Officers were able to work closely with mall staff and officers even viewed live security camera feeds at the mall to efficiently take parties into custody.

Two males have been arrested in connection with this incident and are identified as Keshaun Thomas-Dunn (07/29/1998) and Devonte Shead (02/22/1998).  Thomas-Dunn was arrested with Possession of a Weapon by a Previous Offender and Aggravated Assault.  Shead was arrested for Attempted Second Degree Murder.  Thomas-Dunn’s and Shead’s mugshots are listed below.  The third male, who was in the company of Thomas-Dunn and Shead, was arrested for unrelated warrants and he is currently not facing charges in relation to this incident.  This third male is not being identified since he is not facing charges stemming from this incident.

The case is now in the hands of the 18th Judicial District and therefore further public inquiries into the details of the case will be referred to their organization.  It should be noted that all arrests in this case are merely accusations and the arrested persons are presumed innocent until or unless proven guilty.

Keshaun Thomas-Dunn  Devonte Shead
Keshaun Thomas-Dunn                                                       Devonte Shead


Officer Bill Hummel
Public Information Officer
Media Relations Unit
(720) 432-5095

Posted by [email protected]  On Mar 17, 2018 at 4:41 PM
  

The Aurora Major Crimes/ Homicide Unit has identified the adult male suspect who was arrested during this murder investigation.  Travon Sanders (02/26/1986) was arrested on 03/16/2018 for the charge of First Degree Murder.  Sanders' mugshot is displayed below.

The case is now in the hands of the 18th Judicial District and therefore further public inquiries into the details of the case will be referred to their organization. 

If you have any information in regards to this incident, please contact Detective Chad Lampson at (303) 739-6013.

Travon Sanders

Officer Bill Hummel
Public Information Officer
Media Relations Unit
(720) 432-5095


Information previously released on March 16, 2018.

On March 16, 2018 at approximately 5:20 p.m., Aurora Police Officers responded to the 1300 block of N. Sable Blvd. on the report of a shooting. 

 

An adult male victim was located inside of a residence suffering from an apparent gunshot wound.  This male was transported to an area hospital where he was pronounced deceased.  

 

It was learned very early on in the investigation that an adult male suspect had fled the residence on foot after the shooting incident occurred.  Dozens of officers saturated the area and a perimeter was established as a search for the suspect commenced.  Out of an abundance of caution for the community, a reverse 911 notification was made to the surrounding neighborhood.  Officers knew the identity of the alleged shooter at the start of the search.

 

Diligence paid off, as our officers were able to take the suspect into custody just a couple of blocks from the scene of the shooting.

 

The victim in this incident will be identified at a later time by the Arapahoe County Coroner’s Office pending the notification of next of kin.  

 

The Aurora Police Major Crimes/Homicide Unit is handling the investigation into this matter.  Because the investigation is open and active, no further information is available at this time.  The suspect will be identified at a later date.

 

If you have any information in regards to this incident, please call Detective Chad Lampson at (303) 739-6013.

Officer Bill Hummel
Public Information Officer
Media Relations Unit
(720) 432-5095


Posted by [email protected]  On Mar 17, 2018 at 4:08 PM
  
On Friday, March 16, 2018 at approximately 2:09 p.m. Aurora Police Officers responded to a shooting in the area of East Mississippi Avenue and South Peoria Street.

Upon arrival, officers located an adult female suffering from a gunshot wound in the parking lot of the Village East Grocery Store located at 1161 S Peoria St.

It is believed that the female victim is the owner of the grocery store and that she sustained her injuries during a robbery of the business. The female was transported to a local hospital where she currently remains in serious but stable condition.

During the investigation, officers determined that a Good Samaritan confronted the robbery suspect outside of the grocery store and the Good Samaritan shot the suspect. The suspect then fled the area.

A short time later, officers made contact with an adult male who was suffering from a gunshot wound in the area of South Joliet Street and East Garden Drive. Officers believe that the male was the robbery and shooting suspect who had fled from the area of the grocery store. The male was placed in custody and transported to a local hospital for treatment.

This robbery and shooting is still being investigated. We are asking if anyone has information about this incident to contact Sergeant Thomas Graham at 303-739-1809

Officer Kenneth Forrest
Public Information Officer
Media Relations Unit
(720) 432-5095
Posted by [email protected]  On Mar 16, 2018 at 7:40 PM
  

Today, Aurora Police Chief Nick Metz remarked, "Every student and faculty member in a school not only has the right to be safe when at school, but they also have the right to feel safe at school.  It is our duty as law enforcement officers to keep the community safe and reduce the fear of crime.  My officers go to great lengths every day to accomplish this mission."  Recent tragedies in schools have touched the lives of many people in our communities across the nation.  The men and women of the Aurora Police Department are very cognizant of how such tragedy affects a community and our hearts go out to the many victims and survivors of these atrocious incidents.  

In light of recent acts of violence in schools, the Aurora Police Department has investigated an extraordinary number of threats directed toward Aurora’s schools.  With the advent of current technology, the vast majority of these threats have been made on social media platforms.  Individuals have made threats on Snap Chat, Facebook, Twitter, chat rooms, online gaming forums, and via other means.  The Aurora Police Department takes threats of violence towards our schools incredibly serious and we investigate each and every threat that comes to our attention to our fullest ability.

It is believed that some of the individuals making these threats are doing so for attention, as a joke, or for notoriety.  Regardless of their intent, such threats create fear and uncertainty for our students, faculty and parents.  We will not tolerate threats directed towards our schools.  Rather, we will conduct comprehensive investigations utilizing an array of technologies made available to us and we will seek to arrest any person who has made a threat directed towards a school.  The following is a compiled list of recent school threat incidents that have resulted in criminal charges.  Please note that several of the investigations remain open and the offenders are identified as juveniles, therefore releasable information is limited:

-2/17/2018 Corrected date is 2/14/2018, Hinkley High School threat incident, pending charges against one juvenile male

-2/23/2018, North Middle School threat incident, pending charges against one juvenile male

-2/23/2018, North Middle School threat incident, three juvenile females charged in connection with threats

-2/23/2018, Horizon Middle School threat incident, juvenile female charged in connection with threats

Threats to harm students and staff create fear and are not an appropriate way to garner attention.  If you make a threat, APD Officers will work diligently to arrest you.  Many other school threat investigations remain open and we are confident that more arrests will be made.

We continue to work closely with the Cherry Creek School District, Aurora Public Schools, and private institutions to insure the safety of our schools. 

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

Safety in our schools is everyone’s responsibility.  If you see something, say something.  Suspicious or threatening activities, viewed in-person or online, should be reported immediately to our dispatch center by calling 911.  Students, teachers and parents can also report incidents anonymously to Safe2Tell by calling (877) 542-7233.


Officer Bill Hummel
Public Information Officer
Media Relations Unit
(720) 432-5095

Posted by [email protected]  On Mar 12, 2018 at 7:59 AM
  
 
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