Former Space Force analyst who shot and killed Colorado teen sentenced to 54 years in prison

A former U.S. Space Force signals intelligence analyst was sentenced to decades behind bars in Colorado on Friday for shooting two suspected teen car thieves and killing one of them.  

An Adams County judge sentenced Orest Schur, of Aurora, to 54 years in prison following his conviction in June. Schur was a sergeant in the Army before he transferred to work at Buckley Space Force Base until the end of his service a year ago.

In July 2023, Schur chased the 13 and 14-year-olds down in the 19500 block of East 58th Circle after allegedly catching them trying to take his wife's car. Although they didn't succeed in taking the car, Shur chased after them.

Investigators say Schur started shooting at them and wounded the 13-year-old with a gunshot wound to the back. He ultimately killed 14-year-old Xavier Kirk. Neither of the boys were armed, and the investigation found 11 shots were fired even as the boys ran away.

Family members spoke at the sentencing, asserting that the teens made a mistake, but didn't deserve to die. One family member said, "You know, kids make mistakes, and so, I always teach my kids in my family, like my nephews and nieces, about consequences and repercussions. We're not trying to excuse any wrongdoing of Xavier, or wrong they were involved in. The part that's messed up is Orest Shur's car was never stolen."

The judge said Schur, a discharged soldier, should have known not to take lethal action that night.

Prosecutors read a statement in Friday afternoon's court hearing written by the teen who survived. It said, "An adult chose to use deadly force against two unarmed teenagers. That is not justice, that is not safety, that is not accountability. I survived, but I am not the same. My friend didn't survive at all. And no matter what we did that night, I didn't deserve to be shot, and Xavier didn't deserve to die."

Before his sentencing, Schur addressed the court and pleaded for mercy, stating, "I am sorry for the events that occurred that night, for the pain, for the grief and trauma that have followed and for the impact that my case had on so many lives.

Schur will serve 36 years in prison for one count of second degree murder. For the count of attempted murder in the second degree, he will serve 18 years. The maximum overall sentence he could have received was 80 years in prison. The minimum was 26. He was taken away to begin his sentence immediately.