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Aurora Officer Recovering After Shooting, Suspect Killed

AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) - A standoff between police and a suspect in the shooting of an Aurora police officer ended at dawn Friday after police shot and killed the man.

The officer was shot in the leg after a traffic stop just after 8 p.m. Thursday at East 16th Avenue and North Elmira Street.

"He called out on the radio that he had been shot and had returned fire. The suspect fled," Aurora Police Detective Bob Friel told CBS4.

Early Friday authorities searching for the man shut down a stretch of Colfax Avenue for several hours and surrounded an apartment complex at Colfax and Emporia. Police say the suspect, who has been identified as Aaron Williams, 20, was there and holding a family of four, including two young children, hostage. Authorities then evacuated the rest of the building.

Family
The family is seen here being escorted from the building by police. (credit: CBS)


After a few hours police were able to get the hostages out of the building safely and they say Williams continued to barricade himself in a back bedroom of the family's unit. Negotiators talking to Williams by phone said he was preparing for a shootout.

 

At about 7 a.m. SWAT team members fired tear gas into the building and moved in. Williams, who still had a gun, then jumped out of a window and started to run away. That's when police say multiple officers shot at him and Williams died.

"He had a gun, at that point officers fired and the suspect was killed," said Aurora Police Sergeant Carlson.

Police so far aren't releasing the name of the suspect but say he had a violent history and warrants were out for his arrest.

The name of the officer who was shot also has not been released. He was treated and released from the hospital.

Standoff
(credit: CBS)

Denver police assisted in the search overnight with a helicopter. People living in the area also received a reverse 911 call alerting them that an officer had been shot. Residents were told to stay indoors and away from their windows.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Tom Wilson with Aurora police at (303) 739-6711.

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