The new chief of the Aurora Police Department confirmed on Monday that the man fatally shot by police last week was carrying an airsoft gun. Chief Todd Chamberlain alleged that the man was there “to intimidate, to terrorize, and to threaten” the community.
Kelly Davis, the man’s sister-in-law, criticized Chief Chamberlain for making declarative statements about the man’s intentions during the shooting without releasing the footage. She stated, “To make that kind of statement with no body-worn camera footage is insane.”
According to Chamberlain, Aurora police officers responded to multiple calls about a fight in a parking lot where a man with a rifle was involved. Witnesses reported that the man tried to take another man’s car, leading to a confrontation. The man then retrieved what appeared to be a rifle from a van and started brandishing it aggressively.
When the man raised the weapon towards the officers, one officer fired two rounds, hitting the man. Despite receiving medical treatment, he later died at the hospital.
The man, identified by family members as Kory Dillard, also allegedly threatened to kill a woman passing by with a shopping cart.
Chamberlain described the officers’ actions as the “least amount of force necessary” to control the situation. He speculated on what might have happened if the man had chosen to drop the weapon and surrender peacefully.
At an initial briefing, Chamberlain described the shooting as an exchange of gunfire, but police officials later clarified that there was no exchange of gunfire and the man did not fire any shots from the airsoft rifle.
Dillard’s family described the airsoft gun as a toy and emphasized that he was not under arrest when the incident occurred.
The Aurora police have not released body-worn camera footage of the shooting and are still in the process of reviewing it with the man’s family.
Dillard’s family has attempted to contact the Aurora Police Department multiple times but had not received a response as of Monday night.
Dillard was described as an intelligent, outgoing person who was beloved by his family, including his son and nephew.
Sign up to get crime news sent straight to your inbox each day.
Originally Published:
