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Aurora Officers Fatally Shoot Suspect

AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) - A man who ran away from and shot at police officers in Aurora on Thursday has died after the officers opened fire.

The incident happened just after 3 a.m. in the 14,200 block of East Arkansas. Officers were called out to a report of a loud argument in the street between a man and a woman.

When police arrived they approached two people who were sitting in a parked van and asked a man, identified as Jerome Blackman, 21, to step out.

"When they were contacting one of the male subjects in order to try and do a pat down of him the subject resisted, a brief struggle ensued and the male subject ran from our officers," police spokesman Lt. Paul O'Keefe told CBS4.

After Blackman started running away police tried to use a taser to slow him down but it apparently didn't work.

"The taser, when it was deployed, either didn't work or was ineffective," O'Keefe said.

A preliminary investigation revealed Blackman pointed a handgun at the police while they were chasing him. At that point two officers opened fire with their guns and hit Blackman several times. It wasn't clear if Blackman fired his gun.

Blackman was rushed to the hospital and died.

No officers were hurt in the incident.

Police said they are hoping anyone with more information about the case will contact Detective Charles Mehl at (303) 739-6213.

Aurora Shooting
(credit: CBS)
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