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Colorado teen dies after exchanging gunfire with former police officer, police say

addison way teen killed in shooting aurora.jpg
Posted at 12:53 PM, Nov 26, 2021
and last updated 2021-11-26 14:53:00-05

AURORA, Colo. — Authorities in Colorado say a 17-year-old boy died following an exchange of gunfire with a former Greenwood Village police officer after an argument Wednesday night, a spokesperson with the Aurora Police Department said Thursday.

The shooting was reported at approximately 10:30 p.m. Wednesday in the 900 block of S. Addison Way, near the intersection of South Gun Club Road and E. Belleview Ave., according to police.

The caller who reported the shooting told dispatch two people shot each other. Once at the scene, Aurora police found two males suffering from gunshot wounds, and both were taken to the hospital, where the teen was pronounced dead.

The other suspect, identified by Aurora police as a former officer for the Greenwood Village Police Department, is expected to survive.

Home surveillance video obtained by Denver7 shows the moments leading up to the exchange in gunfire.

Ring doorbell video shows two cars parked on South Addison Way just before 10:30 p.m. A group of teens can be seen entering and exiting one of the parked cars during a verbal confrontation between them and the truck driver with a cab.

Moments later, an exchange of gunfire occurs between one of the teens and the truck driver. Multiple rounds are discharged, which can be heard and seen on the surveillance video.

Once the firing stops, the truck driver appears to get back inside his car, drive further up the road before returning to the scene moments later. Video then seems to show two people rendering aid to the teen victim.

An edited version of the video can be viewed in the player below.

The video will pause before anyone is struck, but some audio will continue to play. It has been edited to preserve the identity of the teen and avoid overly graphic images.

The video may be disturbing to viewers.

Edited surveillance video shows moments leading up to deadly Addison Way shooting

After speaking with witnesses, investigators believe the shooting resulted from an argument between the 36-year-old man and a group of teenagers who may have been driving carelessly through the neighborhood at the time.

“At some point during the argument, both the adult and teenager produced firearms, and both fired shots at one another,” states a news release from the APD.

Detectives with the department’s Major Crimes Unit are working to determine who is to blame for instigating the shooting, as well as the circumstances leading up to the exchange of gunfire.

No arrests have been made.

The former officer is not currently working for any other law enforcement agency, the Aurora police spokesperson said, and the teen's identity will be released once the family has been notified.

Anyone who may have witnessed the shooting is asked to reach out to the Aurora Police Major Crimes Homicide Unit or Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at (720) 913-7867, where tipsters can remain anonymous.

Oscar Contreras and CB Cotton at KMGH first reported this story.