DA confirms no criminal charges for Aurora police in Jor'Dell Richardson's death
The 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office confirmed Wednesday to CBS News Colorado that there will be no charges for Aurora police officers in the death of 14-year-old Jor'Dell Richardson. Last week multiple sources confirmed to CBS News Colorado Investigator Brian Maass about the decision to not criminally charge officers in the case.
Body-worn camera video showed an Aurora police officer chasing and shooting the 14-year-old on June 1.
Aurora Police Officer Roch Gruszeczka and another officer are seen chasing the teen into an alley and tackling the teen before he is shot.
Aurora police initially said Jor'Dell was armed and robbed a convenience store on June 1. A sergeant in Aurora police's gang unit saw a group of five to seven teens wearing masks and donning hoods from hooded jackets about 4:20 p.m., according to police.
That sergeant called for backup, went into the alley behind the strip plaza, and saw a dark Kia minivan. The sergeant ran the license plate and the van was reported stolen. The van started to leave and that sergeant began following them as other gang unit members arrived near the scene.
Officers chased one of the teens wearing a mask and hoodie who was said to have a handgun and had just robbed a nearby mini-mart and stolen several vape cartridges. As he was running, he fell to the ground and then began struggling with officers.
One of the other teens was arrested without incident but Richardson who was armed, refused orders from the officers and one of them shot him, firing one round.
Officers found what was later determined to be a BB gun in Jor'Dell's waistband. During a news conference, Aurora Police Chief Art Acevedo showed photos of a handgun and BB gun side-by-side to demonstrate their similar appearance.
CBS News Colorado did not post the video, as it could be upsetting to some viewers, but those who choose to watch it can do so on Aurora police's YouTube page. Viewer discretion is advised.
Lawyers representing Jor'Dell's family said at the time the videos were just more evidence of the need for transparency and accountability on the part of Aurora police.
Following the DA's release of the decision letter, Interim Chief of Police Art Acevedo also released a statement:
"This afternoon, the Aurora Police Department received, and I have reviewed, the Report of Findings Regarding the Officer-Involved Shooting in Aurora on June 1, 2023. We continue to offer our deepest sympathies to Jor'Dell Richardson's family and friends. Consistent with my previous statements, our officers had to make split-second decisions based upon the information available to them and their own observations. I believe the 18th Judicial District Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) made a fair and just decision today following a comprehensive analysis of all the facts over the last three months. Regardless of this finding, the death of a young man is a tragedy for his family and extended community, and it will continue to weigh heavily on members of our department.
"In addition to the aforementioned CIRT investigation, the department is in the final stages of a separate internal investigation to determine what, if any, policy violations occurred related to this incident and will share our findings as soon as the process is complete.
"It's my hope that our community will come closer together and direct our collective energy toward comprehensive, meaningful and lasting solutions to empower our youth. It is in this spirit that I called for a summit to address the many challenges facing today's youth ranging from high frequency of violence to lack of quality educational and economic opportunities. This effort will not succeed unless we secure commitments from a wide range of community, business, and government leaders."
