The household of Rajon Belt-Stubblefield served discover Monday to town of Aurora that they intend to file a lawsuit in reference to the August capturing dying of the unarmed Black man.
Belt-Stubblefield was 37 when he was shot and killed by an Aurora police officer throughout an Aug. 30 site visitors cease, and his then 18-year-old son witnessed the capturing. A discover of declare — a authorized step needed earlier than suing town — was filed on behalf of Belt-Stubblefield’s household and a second discover was filed on behalf of his son, Zion Murphy.
The household, together with their lawyer Milo Schwab, held a information convention to announce the submitting after which attended the Aurora Metropolis Council assembly the place they spoke a couple of lack of transparency surrounding the capturing and a necessity for accountability for officer Matthew Neely, who fired the deadly pictures. Neely’s title had not been launched by the police division.
“No baby ought to ever need to witness that,” mentioned Erica Murphy, Zion Murphy’s mom. “No baby ought to have to hold the trauma for the remainder of their life. Rajon was greater than a headline. He was greater than a police report. He was a father. He was liked. He mattered.”
On the evening of the capturing, Neely tried to tug over Belt-Stubblefield for dashing and a doable DUI close to East Sixth Avenue and Sable Boulevard. Zion Murphy was driving behind his father in one other automobile.
Belt-Stubblefield fled after which rear-ended one automobile earlier than crossing a median and hitting a second automobile. He was armed however tossed a handgun into the grass earlier than strolling towards the officer, Aurora police Chief Todd Chamberlain mentioned on the time.
Belt-Stubblefield ignored orders to cease and raised his arms, and Neely punched him in an try to de-escalate the state of affairs, based on Chamberlain’s account within the days after the capturing. Belt-Stubblefield raised his fist and repeatedly requested if the officer was “prepared for this,” Chamberlain mentioned.
The officer shot Belt-Stubblefield as he continued to maneuver towards him, backing Neely into the road, Chamberlain mentioned.
Belt-Stubblefield died on the scene.
However the notices of declare filed by Schwab supply a special perspective on what occurred.
Neely pointed his weapon at Belt-Stubblefield as quickly as he exited his wrecked automobile, and Belt-Stubblefield requested the officer to not shoot him as he tossed his gun into the grass. Neely tried to seize Belt-Stubblefield by the neck and take him to the bottom, however the officer is the one who fell, based on the discover of declare. Belt-Stubblefield didn’t take aggressive motion and tried to stroll away.
Neely then adopted Belt-Stubblefield, shoved him within the again after which as Belt-Stubblefield turned to talk to his son Neely “suckerpunched Mr. Belt-Stubblefield at the back of the pinnacle, inflicting Mr. Belt-Stubblefield to place his fists as much as shield his head,” the discover of declare acknowledged.
Neely backed into the road along with his gun and fired thrice. The primary two pictures struck Belt-Stubblefield within the chest, and he stopped and checked out Neely. Neely then fired the third shot into Belton-Stubblefield’s head, killing him on the scene, the discover of declare mentioned.
Schwab mentioned town has not communicated with the household within the six months because the capturing, and the officer has not been disciplined for his actions.
“We’ve given it six months,” he mentioned. “We’re performed ready.”
The capturing drew nationwide consideration, main outstanding civil rights legal professional Ben Crump to go to with Belt-Stubblefield’s widow and to sentence the deadly capturing.
Aurora has been within the highlight for police brutality a number of occasions prior to now decade, most notably for the 2019 killing of Elijah McClain, an unarmed 23-year-old Black man who died throughout a violent arrest regardless that he had not dedicated a criminal offense. McClain’s title turned a rallying cry within the wake of Black Lives Matter protests in 2020.
Two Aurora paramedics and a police officer had been convicted for his or her roles in McClain’s dying. Two others had been acquitted, and town paid $15 million to McClain’s mother and father to settle a civil rights lawsuit.
Colorado Lawyer Normal Phil Weiser positioned the division below a consent decree after McClain’s dying after his investigation discovered a sample of racially biased police and extreme power throughout the division.
In 2015, Aurora paid a $2.6 million settlement — the biggest in metropolis historical past on the time — to the household of Naeschylus Carter-Vinzant, an unarmed Black man who shot by a metropolis police officer. Officers had been making an attempt to serve an arrest warrant after Carter-Vinzant had eliminated a monitoring bracelet from his ankle. That settlement additionally got here with an settlement from town to enhance police oversight and to enhance group relations.
The household of Kilyn Lewis, an unarmed Black man killed by Aurora police in 2024, sued town in Could for wrongful dying. That case is pending.