Wife of unarmed black man shot by police in Aurora says her husband followed police orders

Anndrec Lewis never imagined she would be thrust into the role of an activist speaking out against police brutality against black citizens. But she said she couldn’t let another fatal police shooting go unnoticed, especially since the man shot was her husband.

Kilyn Lewis, 37, was shot and killed by a police officer in the parking lot of an Aurora apartment complex on May 23. Police bodycam footage shows members of the Aurora SWAT team confronting Lewis and shouting several commands at him.

In the video, Lewis can be seen putting one hand in his front pocket and briefly reaching into his back pocket with the other hand as he turns to face the officers. He then reaches out and holds what turns out to be a cellphone. A single gunshot then rings out. Lewis falls to the ground and is heard shouting, “I have nothing. I have nothing,” allegedly telling police that he does not have a weapon. The bullet struck Lewis in the abdomen and he died two days later in a hospital.

Hart Van Denburg/CPR News

The death of an unarmed black man at the hands of Aurora police came nearly five years after the 2019 killing of Elijah McClain, who was also killed by Aurora police. After McClain’s death, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser launched a year-long investigation into Aurora police and fire departments, finding a “pattern and practice of racially biased policing.” The investigation found that nearly half of the people Aurora police used force against were black, even though black residents make up about 15% of Aurora’s population.

In 2021, the City of Aurora signed a settlement with the state that includes a number of reforms related to hiring, training and use of force.

Adding to the city’s problems, the department has experienced significant turnover in leadership, with five different police chiefs in five years. Heather Morris, the department’s last chief, was named interim chief in January.

Lewis was suspected of shooting a man in Denver on May 5, and Denver police had obtained a warrant for his arrest. Officials said the DPD asked Aurora police for help in locating Lewis and officers pursued Lewis for two days. On the day of the shooting, the Aurora police SWAT team located Lewis at the apartment complex and Officer Michael Dieck fired the fatal shot.

Denver police had obtained an arrest warrant for Lewis, suspected of shooting a man in Denver on May 5, and requested assistance from Aurora police. According to officials, DPD and APD officers had been following Lewis for two days. On the day of the shooting, the Aurora police SWAT team located Lewis at an apartment complex. APD Officer Michael Dieck fired the only fatal shot.

Screenshot from a video released by Aurora Police.

Officials released about five minutes of footage from various police body cameras, narrated by interim Chief Morris, who says Lewis did not comply with orders to lie on the ground.

“Instead, he moves to the driver’s door. He puts his left hand in his pocket and his right hand behind his back, out of sight,” Morris said.

The officer, Michael Dieck, is on paid leave as the department conducts an internal investigation and the 18th Judicial District conducts its own probe. Aurora police said they would not comment further until the investigation is complete. Both Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser and Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman also declined comment.

Courtesy of the Estate of Kilyn Lewis

Anndrec Lewis, Kilyn Lewis’ wife, said she and other family members watched a brief clip of police body camera footage at the police station. Anndrec said she believes her husband tried to comply with police orders and throw himself to the ground.

“You could clearly see he was surprised. He literally turned around and there were four police officers with big guns pointed at him,” said Anndrec Lewis. “So, it was like, ‘What do you think another human being would do?’ And it’s crazy because even on the body camera you could see the other three officers, they were all looking at him like, ‘What did you just do?'”

Lewis added that her husband knew he had to obey police orders, especially because he was black.

“So he started bending over and putting his hands up, things a black man does with the police,” Lewis said. “He did that and he still got shot. And being in Aurora, Colorado, especially Aurora, Colorado, you can ask any black man… they’ll all tell you the same thing… ‘We stay away from the police. The police are out to get us.'”

Hart Van Denburg/CPR News

Anndrec Lewis and other members of Lewis’ family have hired attorney Ed Hopkins of the prestigious Denver civil rights firm Rathod Mohamedbhai, LLC. He said the footage shows serious missteps by the Aurora Police Department’s SWAT team during the incident, including unclear and confusing instructions.

“They don’t announce who they are. They don’t tell him he’s under arrest,” Hopkins said. “The first thing they do is … yell at him while holding AR-15s and handguns. They bark multiple conflicting orders at Mr. Lewis at the same time.”

Hopkins said anyone in those circumstances would have been frightened and unsure how to react.

“We all know how we react when people we don’t know suddenly jump out of cars and start yelling at us for unknown reasons,” Hopkins said. “It’s the same thing you would experience if your car was stolen. It’s the same thing you would experience if gangsters decided to target you for a robbery.”

Courtesy of Rathod Mohamedbhai LLC

Anndrec Lewis said the family wants 18th Judicial District Attorney John Kellner to prosecute Officer Michael Dieck or they want the case to be sent to a grand jury to decide whether the officer should be charged.

Hopkins says once the firm has all the police camera footage, the attorneys and Lewis’ family will review it and then decide when to file a lawsuit.

Aurora City Council member Alison Coombs said she has been in contact with Kilyn Lewis’ family, who are “rightfully devastated and outraged that unarmed people in the city of Aurora continue to be shot by our police. Killed by our police.”

She added that the incident was not surprising given the current comparison and Aurora’s history of killing unarmed black men.

Coombs said she plans to push for a resolution in the City Council issuing an official apology to the family, but until the investigation is complete, she said it would be premature to take any other official steps.