AURORA, Colo. — Four people were hospitalized after a shooting suspect reportedly crashed into an RTD light rail train in Aurora early Christmas morning.
Just before 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, police said a shooting involving multiple people occurred on E. Kepner Place near the intersection with S. Racine Street.
Police said a vehicle from the shooting scene — a gray colored Mazda — was seen speeding away before the driver crashed into an RTD light rail at Sable and Ellsworth. The crash site is located about three miles away from the shooting.
“It appears, based on video, that the Mazda tried to beat the train crossing the intersection and ended up striking almost directly against the driver’s compartment of that train,” said Aurora Police Commander Matthew Brukbacher.
Four hospitalized after shooting suspect crashes into RTD light rail in Aurora
Four people, a female train operator and three male passengers, were inside the train at the time of the crash, according to police. The train operator was taken to the hospital with apparent minor injuries, along with three of the five people inside the Mazda.
The driver of the vehicle sustained critical injuries while the other two suffered only minor injuries, according to Brukbacher.
Police said there no outstanding suspects in the shooting and crash, and added that there was no danger to the community.
The RTD train impacted will be out of commission for an extended period of time, police said, and all lanes of Sable at Ellsworth are closed in both directions and are not expected to open back up for several hours, officials said.
RTD was operating a shuttle bus between Florida and 13th Avenue stations in lieu of the train, according to an RTD spokesperson. Customers were encouraged to sign up for RTD Service Alerts to receive updates on any changes to the shuttered line.
The investigation is ongoing.
