A 25-year-old Black man named Chan Lieth died on Monday, December 21, 2015, after being shot by police in Denver. The incident unfolded late at night at a 7-Eleven located at East 11th Avenue and Yosemite Street. Authorities from the Aurora Police Department had been trying to stop a stolen Jeep that Lieth was driving. Police stated that in the days leading up to the shooting, Lieth had made multiple attempts to bait officers into a chase.
On the night of the fatal encounter, officers
cornered the stolen vehicle in the 7-Eleven parking lot. An officer used a patrol car in an attempt to pin the Jeep. In response, Lieth reportedly drove the Jeep back and forth, striking police cars and the convenience store. Two Aurora police officers, Teresa Fields and Josh Stuteville, fired their weapons at the vehicle, hitting Lieth multiple times. Though Lieth was not armed with a conventional weapon, police officials stated that he was using the vehicle as a weapon.
First responders performed CPR on Lieth at the scene before he was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The Denver County coroner’s office later confirmed his identity and that his death was the result of gunshot wounds. Following an investigation, the Denver District Attorney, Mitch Morrissey, determined that the shooting was justified and that no charges would be filed against the two officers involved. The officers had been placed on paid administrative leave while the investigation was conducted. The decision not to charge the officers was met with some scrutiny due to a Denver Police Department policy that generally prohibits shooting at moving vehicles.
