Two Months After Shooting, Calls for Justice Continue
*Is this a murder or a suicide-by-police case? Or both? More than a month after Aurora (Colorado) police shot and killed Rajon Belt-Stubblefield on August 30th, new footage and public pressure are intensifying scrutiny of the case. The 37-year-old Black man was killed after a car crash and a brief confrontation with police near East 6th Avenue and Billings Street.
The unnamed officer involved remains on paid leave, as investigations by Aurora Police Internal Affairs and the 18th Judicial District’s Critical Incident Response Team continue. Bodycam footage was released September 12, three days after the family viewed it privately.
What the Videos Show from Crash to Shooting
According to police, Belt-Stubblefield fled a traffic stop, crashed into multiple vehicles, then exited his car with his 12-year-old son. The footage shows the officer yelling commands and approaching with his gun drawn. Police say Belt-Stubblefield discarded a handgun and told his son to “pick it up.”
As the officer closed in, he struck Belt-Stubblefield from behind, who then reacted by approaching the officer with his fists up. Seconds later, the officer fired up to three shots—one to the head. Belt-Stubblefield died at the scene; his son was not injured.
Family and Civil Rights Advocates Push Back
The family, represented by attorney Ben Crump, calls the shooting an “execution.” Crump says the officer escalated the situation and used unjustified force: It was so unnecessary to execute him with that head shot…