More than a month after an unarmed black man was shot and killed by an Aurora police officer, little remains known about the circumstances of the shooting.
Naeschylus Vinzant, 37, was shot once in the chest by Officer Paul Jerothe. On March 6, law enforcement spotted Vinzant, a parole violator with a lengthy criminal history, walking in the 16200 block of East 12th Avenue.
Police have said virtually nothing about the case, including the reason why Jerothe shot Vinzant. At the time, Vinzant was wanted in connection with a domestic violence incident that included kidnapping, robbery and assault. He had absconded from his parole four days before he was shot and had removed his Department of Corrections ankle monitor.
Laneiasha Butler, the mother of three of Vinzant’s children, two boys ages 9 and 11 and a 10-year-old girl, told The Denver Post last week that it’s been a difficult time because she hasn’t received any information about why Vinzant was shot.
“We just want to know,” she said. “That’s it, as if it were someone of their people (police), someone they loved.”
She said Vinzant’s fatal shooting, along with others involving police and people of color across the country, have made coping even harder.
“It’s been very frustrating because, number one, it’s still going on,” Butler said. “It doesn’t seem like anything gets changed with police and their rules and tactics.”
The Aurora Police Department has turned over the case to the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office, which will handle the case to avoid any potential conflict of interest with the Arapahoe County District Attorney.
Jefferson County DA spokeswoman Pam Russell said investigators still are working the case. She did not have a timetable for when any potential charges against the officer would be filed, if at all.
Jerothe, who had been placed on administrative leave, is now on restricted duty at a desk job while the DA’s office continues its review, said Aurora police spokeswoman Diana Cooley.
Shareef Aleem of Aurora Cop Watch said another rally over the shooting is planned for 5 p.m. Tuesday at the intersection of East Alameda Avenue and South Sable Boulevard.
Carlos Illescas: 303-954-1175, cillescas@denverpost.com or twitter.com/cillescasdp
