"We are not by any means taken over by Venezuelan gangs, TdA or any other gangs," said Chamberlain, who was sworn in as chief ten days ago, becoming the city's fifth chief in five years. "Aurora remains a safe and a strong community."
The viral video came from Blink door camera footage recorded on August 18 by Aurora resident Cindy Romero. The footage shows five armed men with handguns and one armed with a rifle knocking on doors of two apartment units at the Edge of Lowry, a complex at 1218 Dallas Street in Aurora.
According to a September 20 press release issued by the APD, the six men unlawfully entered the apartments at around 11:30 p.m. on August 18 and threatened the tenants. One resident of the building, Oswaldo Jose Dabion Araujo, 25, was shot and killed.
At the press conference, the detective leading the investigation, DJ Tisdale, noted that the video shows the men moving to another floor after they didn't find someone they were looking for. Minutes later, police responded to a shooting at the property.
The APD identified three of the men in the video. One, Naudi Lopez-Fernandez, 21, was arrested on charges of first-degree burglary and menacing with a firearm.
Aurora Police submitted a warrant for his arrest on September 12, along with warrants for Anderson Zambrano-Pacheco, 25, and Niefred Jose Serpa-Acosta, 20, both on the same charges. Those two are still wanted, but "Aurora Police is actively searching...with the assistance of local, state and federal partners," according to the APD, citing other jurisdictions that are part of Operation Safe Haven.
"At this time, we do not have any evidence that leads us to believe or point to any of these individuals being part of any gang," Tisdale said. "As we continue our investigation, if that information comes out, we will explore those leads."
The APD is still trying to identify the other three men. According to the department, "none of the six men have been connected to an organized criminal organization." Police found the rifle seen in the video while searching the apartments less than twelve hours after the incidents took place, police say.
The viral video was shared with the media on August 28, ten days after it was taken. Tisdale said that he saw the footage only hours after the events took place, however.
Once the video was shared on social media, it attracted national and international attention; some reports claimed it was proof that Aurora was being taken over by Venezuelan gangs. A few Aurora officials had already been repeating those claims, primarily at-large Councilwoman Danielle Jurinsky, who's gone on national TV several times.
The Venezuelan gang claims first came from CBZ Management, which runs the Edge of Lowry and 1568 Nome Street, an apartment complex shut down by the City of Aurora for a long list of code violations. CBZ Management told the city it couldn't take care of the property because the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua had scared away its employees with violent threats.
Chamberlain said that while "it's always a possibility" the six men in the video have TdA connections, the APD has yet to confirm any.
"What we're dealing with is beyond known," he added. "We're dealing with a new group of individuals who have come to this country, and...we cannot identify them yet specifically as TdA."
In a statement released on September 11, the APD said that it knows of about ten people in Aurora with TdA connections and has arrested eight of them. According to Tisdale, these numbers haven't changed.
However, CBZ Management "definitely has a place in this investigation," and his department is trying to find out "how these individuals actually ended up in these locations," Chamberlain added.
"There have been a number of civil actions that have been placed on the individuals that controlled those apartments," he noted. "Landlords that are not fulfilling their obligation and their performance, what they are supposed to do, they are not doing their job. ... There's many things occurring in these complexes; all of them are under control."
Chamberlain said that he had just signed a nuisance complaint for all three properties that CBZ Management runs in Aurora. A nuisance complaint advises property owners that they may be subject to criminal persecution, according to Aurora city code.
"This is not an immigration issue, this is a crime issue," Chamberlain added. "Our focus is that we have a safe community for anybody."
Former president Donald Trump repeated the rumor of a Venezuelan gang takeover in Aurora during the September 10 presidential debate. On September 18, Trump vowed that he'd come to Aurora in the next two weeks, adding that "you may never see me again, but that's okay. I've gotta do what I gotta do."
The APD is offering a reward of up to $2,000 for information related to the August 18 events; contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867.
