In the early morning hours of January 15, 2019, a domestic situation in an Aurora, Colorado home escalated into a tragedy that would leave two men dead. Dean Heerdt, a 58-year-old male, was killed in his own home on South Kenton Street. The events unfolded shortly before 2 a.m. when police received a 911 call about an armed and erratically behaving man inside the residence.
That man was later identified as Esmond Trimble, Heerdt's 42-year-old son-in-law.
Upon their arrival, officers heard a gunshot from within the house. Inside, they found Trimble, who was wearing body armor and armed with two handguns, in a back bedroom with Heerdt. According to reports, Trimble was acting erratically and refused to comply with police commands to drop his weapons. As the situation intensified, an exchange of gunfire erupted. During this exchange, Trimble fired multiple shots, fatally wounding his father-in-law.
The responding officers, Zachary Ploch and David Kaufman, also fired their weapons, striking and killing Trimble. A subsequent investigation by the 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office determined that the officers were justified in their actions and would not face any criminal charges. The investigation concluded that Trimble was the one who had shot and killed Dean Heerdt. Both men's deaths were ultimately ruled as homicides by the Arapahoe County Coroner.
The incident left a family shattered and a community in shock. Heerdt was remembered as a beloved family man. No clear motive for Trimble's actions was publicly released, leaving behind unanswered questions for a grieving family.
