AURORA, Colo. — Video from a busy Aurora intersection captured the final moments of Rajon Belt-Stubblefield's life. The 37-year-old man was shot and killed by an Aurora police officer last August.
It was a shooting that sparked community outrage.
And now, an Arapahoe County grand jury will now decide whether that officer should face formal criminal charges.
The officer's body camera and nearby surveillance cameras from 6th Avenue and Sable Boulevard in Aurora captured the moments leading up to the fatal shooting on Aug. 30.
The incident began when an Aurora officer tried to pull Belt-Stubblefield over for a traffic stop. Belt-Stubblefield reportedly fled from the officer and crashed into a pair of cars at the intersection of 6th Avenue and Billings Street.
The officer approached Belt-Stubblefield’s car with his gun drawn. He made multiple demands for Belt-Stubblefield to put his hands in the air. Belt-Stubblefield disregarded those commands, got out of his car and walked toward the sidewalk.
At that point, the officer tried to tackle or apprehend Belt-Stubblefield and was unsuccessful. It’s during that first physical contact that Belt-Stubblefield apparently tosses a handgun into the grass nearby.
Belt-Stubblefield advanced toward the officer as the officer backed away, gun drawn, for an approximately 50-foot distance down the 6th Avenue sidewalk. During his retreat, the officer makes multiple commands to “get on the ground,” at one point warning Belt-Stubblefield: “I’ll shoot you.”
In the seconds before he’s shot, Belt-Stubblefield said at least six times, “Are you ready for this?” as his son could be heard saying, “Dad, chill!” and “officer, chill!” and the officer tells him to “get on the ground.”
The officer backs into the roadway as Belt-Stubblefield continues his advance. After retreating roughly four steps onto 6th Avenue, the officer shoots Belt-Stubblefield twice in the body. He then fires a third shot that hits Belt-Stubblefield in the head.
► Watch Claire Lavezzorio's video in the player below:
Immediately following the incident, Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain called his officer's actions justified.
"The actions of the suspects dictate what our officers have to do," Chamberlain said in a news conference.
Attorney Milo Schwab, who represents Belt-Stubblefield's family, says a grand jury is a less common tool used in Colorado, where a group of people are called to review a case.
"And ultimately you're the judge, you're the prosecutor to some degree, as the grand jury, and they review all the evidence, they ask the questions, they send the prosecutors out to investigate further if they want additional information," Schwab said.
Schwab maintains the officer initiated and escalated the confrontation.
"We need accountability, and if police will not hold themselves accountable, then we have to turn to our citizens," Schwab said.
Aurora activist Candice Bailey calls the grand jury a critical step in the case.
"I think it is important that we have a grand jury convene, because there are criminal acts that occurred, whether we like it or not, on both sides of the fence," Bailey said.
Aurora police are not commenting at this time.
Bailey told Denver7 she is hopeful more cases take this route.
"I think that this is a very important step in our community, and I will continue to push for things like this," Bailey said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
