Family of Kory Dillard rally for justice after Aurora police shooting
Nov 17, 2024
The family of a carjacking suspect, who Aurora officers shot and killed last month after police said he pointed what turned out to be an airsoft gun at them, held a candlelight vigil Saturday night, calling for justice.Were bringing awareness to this situation because it is a problem in Aurora. It has been a problem for a very long time, Erica Dillard said.Kory Dillard, a 37-year-old Army veteran, was shot and killed on Oct. 3 in a neighborhood west of S. Peoria Street and E. Colfax Avenue. The Aurora Police Department said witnesses called 911 after they reported a violent carjacking by a suspect armed with an assault-style rifle.They stated, please drop the weapon, drop the weapon. The suspect's response to this de-escalation in this verbal command was to raise the weapon toward the officers, Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain said during an Oct. 7 press conference.Chamberlain revealed that day that the weapon was a realistic-looking airsoft gun. That replica of a tactical air rifle looks exactly the same as an authentic AR-15, Chamberlain said.This weekend, Dillards family drove across the country from Baltimore to demand the complete, unedited body-camera footage from the shooting.Theres no accountability being taken at all, at all, Erica Dillard said.The Dillard family said they plan to file a lawsuit for the wrongful death of their loved one, demanding punishment for the officers involved and an overhaul of the departments de-escalation training.I love him, and I miss him, and I wish he was here, but were here to be the voice, and were never giving up, never, Erica Dillard said.After the shooting, Aurora police said they wished there was an alternative to what happened that day, but Dillards actions dictated the end result.The two officers involved were placed on leave following the shooting. The Aurora Police Department told Denver7 on Saturday that the two have returned to full duty. Family of Kory Dillard rally for justice after Aurora police shooting