Teen's Murder Investigation: Rep. Coffman Wants Answers
DENVER (CBS4) - Rep. Mike Coffman wants Denver Mayor Michael Hancock to look into how police are treating the family of a slain Aurora teenager and their investigation into his death.
On Nov. 27, 2016, Sang-Hyuk Kim, 16, was shot and killed while leaving a party on Cherokee Street in Denver. Investigators have said he was an innocent victim, not involved in a fight that broke out.
"He had a really close bond with his mother, his father being a pastor, his sister; he was a humble guy," one of Kim's friends told CBS4.
Kim was a high school honors student and a standout musician. He was leaving a party in Denver when he a fight broke out, and he became a shooter's unintended target.
"He was so nice to everybody. He made everybody smile and laugh," the friend said.
Kim's family, Korean immigrants, say they've been told little about where their son's case stands. So little, that Coffman, who represents their district, says it appears police are not taking the case seriously.
"This law enforcement individual, who' entrusted to investigate their case to bring closure to bring justice, just doesn't seem interested at all and has in fact moved on," said Coffman, a Republican who represents Colorado's 6th Congressional District.
Coffman wrote to Hancock, saying a lead investigator told the Kims he was busy on a new murder and has only spoken with them a handful of times. Denver police do not dispute the timeline, but say they're working the case.
"It appears that they're not taking the case seriously at all," Coffman said. "My heart is out to them. They asked me to help the fact that it's an immigrant family in a fairly close knit community in Aurora.
"Our investigators have taken this case seriously since Day 1," Denver police spokesman Doug Schepman said. "It has been an active investigation since then. They have followed up on all actionable leads.
"This is an opportunity to ask for the public's help because we do need their help to solve this case. This case has not been put on the back burner and been dismissed."
The mayor's office responded with a statement saying, "We certainly care about Sang-Hyuk Kim's family and understand their request for a resolution to this case … we have elevated this information to police department leadership who will directly address this matter."
Lauren DiSpirito reports for CBS4 News at 10 p.m. She covers breaking news and feature stories along Colorado's Front Range. Follow her on Twitter @CBS4Lauren. Share your story ideas with her here.
