Jor'Dell Da'Shawn Richardson, a 14-year-old Black male, was involved in a fatal encounter in Aurora, Colorado, on June 1, 2023. On that afternoon, officers from the Aurora Police Department's Gang and Robbery Investigation Team responded to a report of a robbery at a convenience store. They spotted a group of teenagers, including Jor'Dell, who was wearing a white hoodie and a medical mask, outside the store.
When the officers approached, the youths fled, leading to a foot chase.
Officers James Snapp and Roch Gruszeczka pursued Jor'Dell into a nearby alley. Officer Snapp eventually tackled the teenager. During the ensuing struggle on the ground, Officer Gruszeczka stated he saw what he believed to be a handgun in Jor'Dell's waistband and shouted 'Gun!'. He claimed that Jor'Dell reached for the weapon. Fearing for his and Officer Snapp's safety, Officer Gruszeczka fired a single shot, striking Jor'Dell in the abdomen. After being shot, Jor'Dell pleaded for help before losing consciousness. Officers administered CPR and called for an ambulance, which transported him to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. The Arapahoe County Coroner's Office later confirmed the cause of death as a gunshot wound and classified it as a homicide.
The weapon recovered at the scene was later identified as a pellet gun designed to look like a real semi-automatic pistol. Investigators believe the youths involved in the robbery may have given Jor'Dell the pellet gun without informing him that it was not a real firearm. Following the incident, both officers were placed on administrative leave pending an investigation by the 18th Judicial District's Critical Incident Response Team and an internal affairs probe by the Aurora Police Department.
In September 2023, the 18th Judicial District Attorney announced that no criminal charges would be filed against Officer Roch Gruszeczka or Officer James Snapp. The district attorney concluded that Officer Gruszeczka was legally justified in his use of deadly force, believing reasonably that he and his partner were in imminent danger. Subsequently, in October 2023, the Aurora Police Department's internal investigation also cleared the officers of violating any department policies regarding the use of force, and they returned to full duty. One officer was reprimanded for using profane language and another for a delay in activating his body camera. The family of Jor'Dell Richardson expressed their disappointment with the decisions and announced they were exploring civil litigation.
