Dispensary Owner Says Guard's Murder Was Caught On Video
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) - The murder of a security guard Saturday night at a licensed Aurora marijuana dispensary may have been caught on camera.
Police are searching for two suspects described only as black males.
Those attempting to enter the Green Heart dispensary found it closed on Monday. The memorial near the door gave a clue to the sad story. Along with the flowers was a toy figure of a man in a combat uniform. The security guard killed was 24-year-old Travis Mason, a former Marine.
Mason's wife Samantha introduced CBS4 to his three young loving children who had not yet been told their father was murdered.
"I want these people to be found and I want them to be punished for what they did," Samantha Mason said.
The dispensary is equipped with 16 cameras. The owner told CBS4 the incident was captured on video.
According to the coroner, Mason was shot three times and died from a wound to the head.
Security for legalized marijuana dispensaries is critical business because the transactions are done in cash. Ricky Bennett is a former Aurora police chief and now works for Blue Line Security which provides security for the cannabis industry.
"My thoughts are that this particular group was looking for cash, and the reason why is the way that they went in, they were armed," Bennett said.
The store owner told CBS4 the killers only got just inside the store, not even past the foyer. The owner also said the tragedy was all for nothing because they didn't get money or marijuana.
Samantha Mason has been working on her master's degree in criminal justice.
"It's hard because I have studied this all the time and I never thought that this would happen to me," she cried.
A total of $12,000 worth of rewards is now being offered for information leading to an arrest.
LINK: Family Expenses for Travis Mason (GoFundMe)
Additional Information From The Aurora Police Department
We are asking anyone who might have witnessed or have information about the homicide call Agent Matthew Ingui with the Major Crimes/Homicide Unit at (303)739-6067. Tipsters also can call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at (720) 913-7867. By calling Crime Stoppers you can remain anonymous and be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000.00.
The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), is offering a reward for up to $5,000.00 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for this homicide. This reward is being offered through a partnership with ATF and the Aurora Police Department under the Crime Gun Intelligence Center (CGIC) initiative.
Additionally, the Aurora Police Department Reward fund is offering an additional reward of $5,000.00, which includes $3,000.00 that was donated by Euflora – a neighboring dispensary.
The total amount of rewards being offered is $12,000.00 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of person(s) responsible for this crime.
CBS4's Rick Sallinger is a Peabody award winning reporter who has been with the station more than two decades doing hard news and investigative reporting. Follow him on Twitter @ricksallinger.
