Investigators believe Hill killed Tulsa, Oklahoma's Brandon Goff, 24, when the latter tried to buy marijuana from him -- the sort of incident sure to incite both sides of the pot legalization debate.
At about 12:32 a.m. on August 21, as we've reported, officers were called about shots fired near East 14th Avenue and Moline Street.
Although the cops arrived shortly thereafter, they couldn't find any evidence of a shooting -- but some presented itself about half an hour later. Just past 1 a.m., a nearby hospital informed the APD about the arrival of two people transporting a third individual who'd been shot. Unfortunately, it was already too late for the victim: He didn't respond to treatment and was soon pronounced dead.
The pair who'd taken the man to the hospital told officers that there had indeed been a shooting on the 1400 block of Moline. Before long, APD personnel found the scene and launched a homicide investigation -- but they didn't release any suspect information and delayed identification of the victim so that his family could be informed about the tragedy.The coroner's office subsequently ID'd the man who'd been killed as Goff. A web search revealed the following booking photo of Goff taken this past December, as seen at the website MugshotsOnline.com:
The allegation against Goff is listed as possession of marijuana, which jibes with information in a police report obtained by the Denver Post.According to that document, Goff and two friends had driven from Oklahoma to the metro area in order to buy some marijuana, but they're said to have arrived too late to get any at a dispensary. So they called Hill, described as an acquaintance also known as "Rico," and arranged to meet him at a McDonald's on the 16th Street Mall. Instead, the Post reports that Hill led the trio to the 14th and Moline location, where he allegedly shot Goff as soon as he pulled out a wad of money.
How did the cops track down Hill? A search of Goff's cell phone is said to have revealed a number for female escorts that was traced to an ongoing investigation of Hill.
This act of violence will likely be interpreted differently depending on one's opinion about Colorado's growing reputation as a marijuana mecca. Those who opposed Amendment 64 will likely point at it as evidence of violence triggered by the state's embrace of a federally illicit drug and the negative impact of people coming here for weed. In contrast, A64 supporters are apt to argue that regulating marijuana sales is designed to eliminate the very kind of underground drug dealing that ended with the death of a young man well before his time.
Here's a larger look at Hill's booking photo, followed by our previous coverage.
Continue for our previous coverage of the homicide on the 1400 block of Moline in Aurora, including an interactive graphic. Original post, 11:50 a.m. August 22: From mid-July to mid-August, there was a happy dearth of posts in our Mile High Murder archive.But that changed for the worse last week -- and now, following news about Billy Otto's arrest for a double-teen slaying, the sad death of Sandra Roskilly and the jealousy that allegedly sparked Matthew Burnett to kill his best friend comes word of a homicide in Aurora in which no suspect has yet been identified. Here's what we know so far.
At about 12:32 a.m. yesterday, according to the Aurora Police Department, officers were called about shots fired near East 14th Avenue and Moline Street, an area seen in the interactive graphic below. If you have problems seeing the image, click "View Larger Map."
View Larger Map
Although the cops arrived shortly thereafter, they couldn't find any evidence of a shooting -- but some presented itself about half an hour later. Just past 1 a.m., a nearby hospital informed the APD about the arrival of two people transporting a third individual who'd been shot. Unfortunately, it was already too late for the victim: He didn't respond to treatment and was soon pronounced dead.
The pair who'd taken the man to the hospital told officers that there had indeed been a shooting on the 1400 block of Moline. Before long, APD personnel found the scene and launched a homicide investigation.
In the immediate aftermath of the crime, APD investigators didn't have a suspect description -- and after checking in with a department spokesman a short time ago, we were told there have been no new developments in the case. Neither has the victim been identified, pending notification of his family. Our condolences to his friends and loved ones.
More from our Mile High Murder archive: "Did Matthew Burnett accidentally kill his best pal after catching him with his wife? (11)"
