Inset: Orest Schur (Aurora Police). Background: The street where Schur discovered teens allegedly trying to steal his car (Google Maps).
The Colorado man who shot at a pair of teens he thought were trying to steal his car has been convicted of murder.
Beforehand, Orest Schur served as a sergeant in the U.S. Space Force and he found himself in a critical situation when two teenagers broke into his car in North Aurora, a suburb of Denver.
Responding to the break-in, Schur took action by firing his weapon, resulting in the death of 14-year-old Xavier Daniel Kirk and injuring a 13-year-old who was also involved. Subsequently, Schur faced a charge of second-degree murder, which carries a potential sentence of 16 to 48 years in prison in Colorado.
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Reports from Aurora police indicated that the incident took place around 11 p.m. on Wednesday, July 5, 2023, when two minors were discovered attempting to burglarize Schur’s car in North Aurora. Witnesses in the neighborhood heard a car alarm sounding and spotted two individuals dressed in all black trying to break into a Hyundai Elantra.
Schur was the owner of that vehicle. According to police, he confronted the would-be burglars.
“The two people sped away in another suspected stolen vehicle,” the police statement said. “Schur, who was armed, got into his Hyundai and followed the other vehicle until it crashed a short distance away[.]”
As Schur chased the minors, he “fired several shots at the people he suspected of trying to break into his car, striking both,” according to police.
According to local NBC affiliate KUSA, a probable cause affidavit said that Schur initially told police that he had been fired upon by the fleeing teens, but that he wasn’t hurt.
Citing the affidavit, KUSA reported that officers at the scene found a Kia Rio crashed into a backyard fence of a home in the area. That car reportedly had a bullet hole in the trunk and the rear windshield was shattered, according to the affidavit. A bullet appeared to have traveled through the back of the front driver’s seat, the KUSA story said.
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At the time, Schur, then 27, was a technical sergeant assigned to Buckley Space Force Base in Aurora. His wife reportedly told authorities that Schur has had weapons training and had previously served two tours in Afghanistan.
Colorado does not have a “Stand Your Ground” law, although the state supreme court has held that there is no duty to retreat before using force in public.
Court records indicate that Schur will be sentenced on Aug. 15 at 1:30 p.m.
