AURORA, Colo. — The Aurora police officer who shot and killed a 37-year-old Black man after an attempted traffic stop last year, sparking community outrage, was indicted by an 18th Judicial District Grand Jury.
The district attorney's office confirmed the indictment after Scripps News Denver Investigates broke that charges were coming down the pike.
The 18th Judicial District Grand Jury has charged Aurora Police Department (APD) officer Matthew Neely in connection with the shooting death of Rajon Belt-Stubblefield on Aug. 30, 2025.
Neely faces one count of second-degree murder, a class two felony, and one count of manslaughter, a class four felony.
APD said Monday morning that Neely is now on unpaid administrative leave. Friday afternoon, an arrest warrant was issued for Neely.
He surrendered over the weekend and has since posted bond, which the court has set in the amount of $200,000 cash or surety. His next court appearance is scheduled for Monday, August 17.
Neely's body camera video, released in the weeks following the shooting, and nearby surveillance cameras on 6th Avenue and Sable Boulevard in Aurora depict the moments leading up to the fatal shooting.
Neeley reportedly attempted to pull over Belt-Stubblefield in a traffic stop. Body-worn camera shows Neely approach Belt-Stubblefield’s car with his gun drawn, demanding that Belt-Stubblefield put his hands in the air.
Police reports describe Belt-Stubblefield driving off, crashing into two vehicles at the intersection of Sixth Avenue and Billings Street.
In the body-worn camera, Belt-Stubblefield disregarded commands to put his hands in the air, moving to the sidewalk. Neely unsuccessfully tried to tackle him, and at that point, Belt-Stubblefield appeared to toss a gun into the grass.
He then advanced toward the officer for roughly 50 feet while the officer continued to shout commands for Belt-Stubblefield to get on the ground.
During this encounter, Belt-Stubblefield’s son could be heard on body-worn camera shouting “dad, chill,” “officer, chill” and the officer tells him to “get on the ground.”
The officer took several steps onto Sixth Avenue, firing three shots that hit Belt-Stubblefield in the chest and head, killing him.
In the days following the shooting, Aurora Police Department Chief Todd Chamberlain defended Neely's actions.
Community members and attorneys for Belt-Stubblefield’s family said Neely escalated the situation and that his life was not in danger since Belt-Stubblefield was unarmed when he was shot.
Earlier this year, Belt-Stubblefield’s family filed two notices of claim that they intended to sue the City of Aurora, with attorneys saying each lawsuit would be for at least $20 million in damages.
"It's not OK for police to kill people because they make a mistake, because they don't listen. We only allow police officers take a life when their lives are truly in danger, and this officer's life was never in danger," said attorney Milo Schwab, previously representing Belt-Stubblefield's family, earlier this year.
The case has attracted the attention of national civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, one of the attorneys who represented George Floyd's family. Crump is now representing Belt-Stubblefield's family.
When the 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office held a news conference Monday morning, the indictment was unsealed.
Schwab told Scripps News Denver earlier this year that a grand jury is a less common tool used in Colorado, where a group of people are called to review a case.
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