Aurora, Colo.— A series of chaotic events unfolded in the city of Aurora on Monday morning, leading to four people being taken to the hospital after a shooting incident that resulted in a car being involved in a deadly collision with a Regional Transportation District (RTD) light rail train around this region.
Shooting Incident Sparks Police Response
The sequence of events started at around 8:15 when this whole shooting incident happened at the location of the 18400 Block of East Kepner Place, close to South Racine Street. A report issued by the Aurora Police suggests that the shooting seems to stem from a domestic dispute that escalated into violence. It involved several suspects, but the police stated that there were no active suspects at the time and that there was a threat to the public’s safety.
Car Chase Ends in Collision with RTD Train
Immediately after the shooting, the suspects got inside a Mazda sedan. A couple of minutes later, an RTD light rail train was hit on East Ellsworth Avenue and Sable Boulevard, which is around 3.5 miles from the spot of the incident. The impact of the collision was so severe that it caused the train to derail a little.
As the first witness present at the scene of the accident, Patrick Dickman explained the scenario as a whole. “I saw all four perpetrators being cut out of the car,” he says. A recording shows it appears that the driver of the Mazda tried to pass over the light rail tracks but, instead, impacted the driver’s area of the train.
Injuries and Emergency Response
A fourth female student was injured along with three male students, and the group was taken to the hospital after the incident. The passengers managed to limp off with minor cuts, and the Mazda’s driver, on the other hand, was critically wounded. One of the occupants of the vehicle also managed to survive a gunshot.
One of the trains was operated by a conductor with 4 other commuters at the time of the accident. It has been reported that the conductor suffered from minor injuries and the passengers did not wish to seek any medical advice.
Ongoing Investigation and Road Closures
Matthew Brukbacher, the commander from the Aurora Metropolitan Police Department, stated in one of the press conferences that they do have some of the suspects in custody and charges will be pressed on them. The RTD Transit Police and the authorities are investigating the shooting and the collision.
As the police continue to investigate, there is still no news regarding the reopening of the Sable Boulevard and East Ellsworth Avenue junction. To reduce hassle for commuters, RTD has started a shuttle service that goes to the stations on 13th Avenue and Florida.
People’s Response
People like Dickman, who were eyewitnesses of the scene, were shocked as to how bad the accident was. “In the first instance I thought it was just a mistake on the part of the driver,” he said while recalling a scenario of a previous derailment. “But this was something completely different.”
Next Steps
Authorities have reached out to every person with relevant information on the episode to contact the Aurora Police Department. It has now turned from investigation to providing updates with the resumption of works for the recovery of train lines.
For more information, the entire Aurora Police press conference is posted online.
