Police say an alcohol-fueled “pop-up party” that migrated from Denver to Aurora descended into a melee and shooting that killed a 15-year-old girl early Sunday morning.
Aurora Police Department Division Chief Mark Hildebrand said at a news conference Thursday that groups of children joined the party after seeing a livestreamed video on social media.
One group, including a 14-year-old Colorado Springs boy, arrived when the gathering moved to Aurora. The group instigated a fight, after which the boy shot into the crowd, Hildebrand said.
Police played a blurred video of the fight that preceded the shooting, which Hildebrand said was “shocking” and was part of a trend in juvenile violence stemming from gatherings promoted online.
“If it ends with just a fight, we’re lucky,” he said. “We even have information that they’re participating in girl fight clubs. So, the behavior that we’re observing in this is completely unacceptable.”
The 14-year-old boy was arrested Wednesday in Colorado Springs by Aurora police and local law enforcement on an outstanding motor-vehicle-theft warrant, Hildebrand said.
Two handguns were also seized from the boy’s home — Hildebrand said police do not know whether the firearms were used in Sunday’s shooting, but bullet casings of different calibers were found at the scene, suggesting multiple guns were fired.
A warrant was subsequently issued for first-degree murder, 10 counts of attempted first-degree murder and two counts of possessing a handgun as a juvenile. In addition to the girl killed, a 20-year-old woman was hospitalized, and another teen suffered minor injuries in the shooting.
The woman and girl who died were found by firefighters returning to the nearby Aurora Fire Rescue station at 12600 East Hoffman Blvd.
While Hildebrand said the incident was a “tragedy,” he said it should also alert parents and schools to the dangers of similar parties, which he said are frequented by gang members and often involve underage drug and alcohol use.
“I think parents need to be aware of what their kids are doing,” he said. “This needs to stop.”
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