Prosecutors announced Monday that an Arvada police officer will not face criminal charges for accidentally shooting and killing a “good Samaritan” who stopped an active shooter in Old Town Arvada this summer.
At a news conference, First Judicial District Attorney Alexis King announced her decision not to charge the officer nearly five months after the officer shot and killed 40-year-old Johnny Hurley.
Hurley exited the Arvada Army Navy Surplus Store on the afternoon of June 21 and confronted the active shooter who had killed a police officer and fired several rounds in the busy restaurant and shopping district of a Denver suburb a few minutes earlier.
Hurley, who legally possessed a concealed carry weapon, shot and killed the active shooter after hearing gunshots. According to his autopsy report, Hurley picked up the active shooter’s AR-15 after hitting him. A responding Arvada police officer then shot and killed Hurley, mistakenly assuming him to be the suspect who ambushed and killed Arvada police officer Gordon Beasley.
According to the autopsy report, doctors at the Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge declared him brought dead shortly after arriving at the hospital. According to his autopsy, Hurley died of a bullet wound in his pelvis. The bullet hit his buttock from behind and did not leave the body.
Hurley’s mother, Kathleen Boleyn, said in a statement Monday through her attorney that she “imagines that many people are angry and it’s understandable. I’m asking you to act on your anger, rather than take that energy.” Use it to create the change you want to see in the world.”
She called on people to consider using Johnny’s commitment to doing the right thing, even at the greatest cost, to engage in “meaningful patronage that can make a difference” and to “inspire their actions. “
The multi-agency Jefferson County Critical Incident Response Team investigated the shooting and presented its findings to the First Judicial District Attorney’s office on September 9. Police and prosecutors released few details about Hurley’s death ahead of the announcement on Monday, citing an ongoing investigation.
Colorado district attorneys are required by state law to publicly issue letters explaining their decision when they refuse to prosecute law enforcement officers for a fatal on-duty shooting. The letters outline the facts of the incident and the prosecutor’s legal analysis.
Arvada Police had previously released video showing the moments leading up to Beasley’s death, but did not release video or other information about Hurley’s murder before Monday, citing an ongoing investigation into the officer’s actions. Was.
Arvada Police had previously stated that Hurley was a hero and prevented further bloodshed.
Arvada police previously said active shooter Ronald Troyke, 59, left a note in his Arvada apartment indicating he intended to kill police officers. Surveillance video released by the Arvada Police Department shows Troyke running after Beasley and shooting him with a shotgun in the downtown area. The video then showed Troyke getting back to his truck and swapping shotgun for rifle before walking to the main square, where Hurley later shot him.
King is the second district attorney in recent years to find a police officer legally appropriate to shoot someone acting in self-defense. In 2018 Adams County prosecutors refused to charge an Aurora police officer who shot and killed a 73-year-old homeowner defending his home against a violent intruder.
Denver Post reporter Sam Tabachnik contributed to this report.
