Pursuit in Aurora that resulted in death of innocent Coloradan was authorized, given violent nature of carjacking
Police are tracking an average of 98 motor thefts a week in Aurora. Over the weekend a crime spree involving a stolen car ended in the death of an innocent Colorado resident. The police pursuit that took place before the death was authorized given the violent nature of the carjacking, according to the Aurora Police Department.
A 24-year-old man named Oliver, who was identified by friends as Oliver Jose Zeledon Gongora, was sitting in his car outside his northeast Aurora home when his vehicle was hit by a speeding car. He died, and the person behind the wheel of the speeding car was a suspect who just minutes before the crash allegedly stole that car a few blocks away.
Aurora police says the suspect is 17 years old, making this the latest incident of an Aurora teen involved in violent crime.
A week before the crash, and not far from the crash site, officials with Aurora Parks, Recreation & Open Space spoke with CBS Colorado about spring break opportunities to deter youth violence. The 17-year-old might not have set off with the intention of killing someone on Sunday night when the crime happened, but now two young lives are ruined as a result of those actions.
The carjacking happened on the 1700 block of North Clinton Street. Officers located the stolen car near East 25th Avenue and Dallas Street and a pursuit then took place for a few blocks. The stolen car hit a speed bump, lost control, and Oliver's car was struck near the intersection of Dayton Street and 19th Avenue.
Last year, former Aurora Police Chief Art Acevedo instructed officers to respond to more calls with lights and sirens.
A firearm with an extended magazine was found inside the stolen car.
While the teen remains in custody on charges of second-degree murder, aggravated robbery and vehicular eluding causing death, Oliver's friends are raising money to transport his body back home. An online fundraiser has raised thousands of dollars. The description from that fundraiser reads in part: "We are reaching out to our community for whatever help you can give, in hopes to deliver Oliver to his home in Nicaragua where his mother and his family wait in anguish. Oliver was a kind, gentle, hard working man who would brighten up any room he enters with his jokes. His passing at the young age of 24 was unexpected and has left us devastated."
A friend of Oliver's says he is frustrated that first responders didn't remove his body from the vehicle until several hours after arriving on scene. CBS Colorado is working to determine what city protocols may have led to such a decision.
The suspect's name is not being released by authorities because he is a juvenile.
