A Space Force sergeant who shot at two teenagers fleeing after allegedly catching them attempting to break into his car will most likely spend the rest of his life in prison.
On Friday, an Adams County, Colorado, judge sentenced Orest Schur to 54 years in prison: 36 years for second-degree murder and 18 years for attempted murder, according to the 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. The 29-year-old was convicted on both counts in June.
The shooting took place after 11 p.m. on July 5, 2023, near Buckley Space Force Base in Aurora, Colorado. Residents on the 19400 block of East 59th Place heard a car alarm go off and saw two people dressed in all black “attempting to break into” a Hyundai Elantra, according to an Aurora Police Department news release the following day. Schur, the car’s owner, “confronted” the pair, prompting them to speed away in another “suspected stolen vehicle.”
Schur, armed with a gun, got into his Elantra and pursued the teenagers, “rather than calling police,” according to the district attorney. He then fired several shots into the vehicle’s rear, causing it to crash approximately four blocks away. Schur continued firing as the two teenagers fled the car, according to prosecutors, and both were hit.
Xavier Daniel Kirk, 14, was discovered unconscious nearby with gunshot wounds to his back and head. Despite being “rushed” to a nearby hospital, he was pronounced dead. The other teen, a 13-year-old boy who drove the vehicle, was shot in the back but fled to a nearby relative’s house and was eventually hospitalized and treated. He survived.
While Schur initially told police that he had been shot at by the teens, a forensic investigation revealed no evidence of any other weapons or guns besides his own. He had fired eleven shots in total.
As previously reported by Law&Crime, Schur was a technical sergeant stationed at Buckley Space Force Base in Aurora. His wife is said to have told authorities that her husband received weapons training and served two tours in Afghanistan.
Brian Mason, the 17th Judicial District Attorney, was harsh in his assessment of Schur’s actions.
“This was vigilante violence at its worst and now a young man is dead,” Mason informed the crowd. “The defendant took the law into his own hands, pursuing a fleeing vehicle and opening fire on its passengers. The defendant’s actions have resulted in the death of a 14-year-old boy. I’m grateful to the Aurora Police Department for their investigation and to my team at the District Attorney’s Office for ensuring justice in this case.”
