Mile High Murder No. 70: Man found shot to death in SUV at Cottonwood Trail Apartment complex in Aurora

Early Wednesday, a man was found dead at the Cottonwood Trail Apartments, near the intersection of East Virginia and South Hampden in Aurora. At this writing, the Aurora Police Department hasn't issued a release on the incident, but APD spokesman Lt. Sam McGhee provides details. "At about 7:30 a.m. yesterday...

By Michael Roberts

January 14, 2010

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "12017618",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17242653",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261320",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261321",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

Early Wednesday, a man was found dead at the Cottonwood Trail Apartments, near the intersection of East Virginia and South Hampden in Aurora. At this writing, the Aurora Police Department hasn't issued a release on the incident, but APD spokesman Lt. Sam McGhee provides details.

"At about 7:30 a.m. yesterday morning, the call came in from a witness reporting that a male was in a white SUV in a parking lot of the apartments," McGhee says. "It appeared that he had been shot."

No identification of the victim as of yet, nor details about whether he was a resident of the apartment complex or hailed from elsewhere. But McGhee confirms that the APD suspects foul play may have been involved, as opposed to the man having committed suicide. In his words, "We are investigating this as a homicide."

Look for more information as it becomes available.

KEEP WESTWORD FREE... Since we started Westword, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.

Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

Contact: Michael Roberts

Follow:

Facebook: 111180895657427

Twitter: @mikerobertscolo