Unarmed Black Man Fatally Shot by Aurora Police Officer Holding Phone

Aurora Police Department released body-worn camera footage on Thursday, revealing that a 37-year-old Black man, Kilyn Lewis, was unarmed and holding a phone when he was shot and killed by an Aurora police officer in late May. The incident occurred outside an apartment complex at 384 S. Ironton St. on May 23. Lewis succumbed to a single gunshot wound on May 25.

According to the video footage, Lewis had his hands raised in the air when an Aurora police SWAT officer confronted him. The officers were attempting to arrest Lewis, who was wanted for attempted first-degree murder in connection with a shooting that took place on May 5 near the intersection of 48th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard. The victim of the shooting was a 63-year-old blind man.

The body-worn camera footage shows Lewis, with empty hands, taking a few steps towards the driver’s side of a parked red Chevrolet Monte Carlo while officers shouted commands at him. His right hand briefly went out of sight behind his back before he raised his hands in front of him, holding a phone in his right hand. Within six seconds of officers beginning to shout commands, the officer identified as Dieck shot Lewis, who collapsed immediately.

Lewis’s family, represented by the law firm Rathod Mohamedbhai, has called for Dieck to be fired, banned from policing in Colorado, and investigated for murder. They described Lewis as a loyal family man who enjoyed fishing and camping and was known for his humor and vibrant personality.

The arrest affidavit provided by the Denver Police Department revealed that Lewis was believed to have opened fire from the red Monte Carlo during the May 5 shooting. Surveillance video captured the driver holding a gun across the passenger seat as pedestrians fled the scene. A witness identified Lewis as the driver, and the blind man who was shot confirmed Lewis’s involvement.

Lewis had a criminal history, with previous convictions for robbery, negligent child abuse causing serious injury, attempting to illegally discharge a firearm, and trespassing. He had not faced criminal charges in nearly a decade before the attempted first-degree murder warrant was issued.