An armed-robbery suspect was shot and fatally wounded by police in Aurora late Thursday after officials said he refused commands to drop a gun following a miles-long, high-speed chase.
Police were called to the Fast-n-Friendly Food Mart in the 100 block of Del Mar Circle at about 10:30 p.m. on a report of an armed robbery. Officers spotted a sedan speeding away with its lights off, and one of the occupants in the vehicle matched the suspect description from the convenience store holdup.
Police pursued the sedan east for several miles, ending the chase with a tactical maneuver and spinning the car to a stop near Tower Road. Authorities say the driver, holding a black handgun, ran from the car.
“The suspect refused to comply with orders given by the officers and was subsequently shot,” police said in a news release.
The suspect was given first aid at the scene by officers and was taken to University Hospital in Aurora, where he was pronounced dead.
A second suspect in the sedan was arrested without incident. Charges against him are pending.
The Arapahoe County coroner’s office said police asked that it not release the dead suspect’s name.
Homicide investigators were scouring the scene Friday. Television images showed a badly damaged sedan being towed from where it apparently was forced off the road and crashed.
“He asked for me to hand him the bread,” said Krystal Muchow, the clerk who was robbed. “It was less than a minute.”
Muchow said only one of the two suspects entered the store and was wearing a devil mask. After she handed over money from the register and he left, Muchow called police.
Anyone who has information about the events leading up to and after the shooting is asked to call police at 303-739-6068.
Jesse Paul: 303-954-1733, jpaul@denverpost.com or twitter.com/jesseapaul
