Several of the armed suspects captured on video forcing their way into an Aurora apartment have been identified and one man is in police custody.
That’s according to Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain who held a press conference Friday to deescalate social media rumors claiming a violent uprising in the city tied to the Tren de Aragua gang from Venezuela.
Here’s the press conference in its entirety. We suggest PeakNation™ watch this rather than rely on other media reports to tell you what Chamberlain said and make your own decisions.
Just to remind, the same police department did announce just a couple of weeks ago that three suspects were arrested in the shooting that happened outside this apartment complex after the invasion caught on video, and Denver media reported the three men were tied to the gang.
Aurora Police also announced recently 10 people linked to crimes were also identified as gang members.
It sounds like Aurora’s police are not going to talk about the nationality or immigration status of criminal suspects arrested by police anymore because it’s too controversial. Or scary. Or political. Maybe all of the above.
While it’s factually and grammatically incorrect to say the TdA gang has “taken over” Aurora, one can’t help but recognize from local media reports — not right wing media — that some gang members are making themselves known here and in a few other suburbs of Sanctuary City Denver.
Just because it’s scary or political does not mean the issue should be swept under the proverbial rug by the media.
What the police chief wants to do is focus on crime and catching bad guys, and let the politicians and immigration officials handle those jobs.
Here is the press release issued by the police department:
The Aurora Police Department on Friday announced it has identified and obtained warrants for three men involved in the Aug. 18 shooting near 12th Avenue and Dallas Street, and who appeared in a security video that last month garnered international media attention.
On Friday, APD Chief Todd Chamberlain hosted a news conference to provide the public with an update about the investigation.
Aurora police submitted arrest warrants to the Arapahoe District Court on Thursday, September 12, for Anderson Zambrano-Pacheco, 25, Niefred Jose Serpa-Acosta, 20, and Naudi Lopez-Fernandez, 21, on charges of first-degree burglary and menacing with a firearm, both felonies.
Lopez-Fernandez is in custody. Aurora police is actively searching for Zambrano-Pacheco and Serpa-Acosta with the assistance of local, state and federal partners.
The warrants and charges stem from about 11:30 p.m. Aug. 18, when Aurora police officers responded to a report of a shooting in the 1200 block of Dallas Street. About 10 minutes before the shooting, six armed men, including five armed with handguns and one armed with a rifle, knocked on the doors of two apartments, unlawfully entered those apartments and threatened the residents with firearms.
The burglary and menacing offenses were captured on surveillance video, which was obtained by the Aurora Police Department during the initial, on scene investigation into the shooting. It is the same video that was later shared with local, national and international news outlets.
Within 12 hours of the shooting, Aurora police investigators obtained a search warrant for another neighboring apartment. A rifle matching the one depicted in the video was recovered during the search of the apartment.
One person, 25-year-old Oswaldo Jose Dabion Araujo, was fatally wounded during the Aug. 18 shooting. The Aurora Police Department Major Crime Homicide Unit is leading the investigation into the fatal shooting. That investigation is active and ongoing.
The Aurora Police Department and its local, state and federal partners continue to work to identify the three remaining, unknown armed men depicted in the surveillance video as part of a large-scale, multi-jurisdictional operation known as “Safe Haven.” At this time, none of the six men have been connected to an organized criminal organization.
Multiple investigations into the events of Aug. 18 remain active and ongoing. Anyone with any information is asked to contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720.913.STOP (7867). Tipsters can remain anonymous and could be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000.