AURORA, Colo. — Denver7 has obtained newly-released video that shows the moments before and after Aurora police officers shot and killed a man Oct. 2 aboard an RTD bus.
An investigation by the 17th Judicial District's Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) is still underway to determine whether officers were justified in the shooting and whether they will face any charges.
The video, recorded by cameras on the RTD bus, begins by showing people boarding the bus at the Colfax and Moline stop in Aurora.
Among the passengers was 35-year-old Alexander Collins, who was accused of escaping a work-release program, robbing a nearby store and threatening people with a knife, according to the Aurora Police Department. The video shows the knife in Collins' back pocket.
After taking a seat near the back, the bus moves forward for about 10 seconds. Moments later, patrol cars can be seen surrounding the bus, and Collins gets out of his seat and walks to the front.
He stays there for a moment before attempting to get away from the officers boarding the bus. What happens next happens quickly.
In one angle, an officer is shown struggling to grab Collins as a K9 pulls at his shorts. Another officer steps in and points a Taser at Collins. Seconds later, the officer deploys the Taser, and the probes land on Collins' back.
Two seconds after that happens, a different officer's gun is seen recoiling after firing multiple shots at Collins. Police say two officers fired their weapons, but only one can be seen doing so because of the angle in the video provided by RTD.
Collins, while holding the knife, falls to the ground. In an angle from the outside of the bus, a K9 is then seen dragging Collins' body out of the bus. Collins would later die at a hospital.
In a statement released Oct. 3, Aurora police said the use of the officer's Taser and a K9 was "ineffective," and shortly after two officers fired their guns. Denver7 asked the department Monday how officers were able to determine the Taser was ineffective if, only two seconds later, they fired their guns.
A spokesperson told Denver7 "what each officer saw and perceived may not be exactly what was shown on video" and "each officer's position and focus may have been different than the camera view."
Denver7 requested a copy of the body-camera video belonging to the two officers who fired their guns. Because of an ongoing investigation, Aurora police could not provide a copy or any other information.
The officers who fired their weapons remain on paid administrative leave, police said. No one else aboard the bus was hurt.
