Denver man shoots and kills 12-year-old allegedly driving his stolen car, police say
FILE IMAGE - A police vehicle is pictured on Dec. 28, 2021, in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images
DENVER - A vehicle theft turned deadly over the weekend in Denver, Colorado, when a man used an app to track his stolen car — resulting in an "exchange of gunfire," according to police.
The driver of the stolen vehicle, identified as a 12-year-old boy, died in the shooting, according to FOX 31, citing authorities.
The incident was first reported on Sunday when the man reported that his car had been stolen and said he was tracking the vehicle using an app, according to the Denver Police Department.
The car owner, who was not identified, eventually tracked the car about 11 miles away from where it was stolen, police said.
"When the vehicle’s owner approached the car, he was involved in an exchange of gunfire with occupant(s) in the stolen vehicle," police said in a statement.
Police said a male juvenile then drove the stolen car a couple of blocks away, where he was found by officers to be suffering from a gunshot wound. The juvenile was taken to an area hospital, where he later died.
Police said it appeared other occupants of the vehicle ran away on foot before police arrived.
The Denver Office of the Medical Examiner on Tuesday identified the juvenile as 12-year-old Elias Armstrong, and his death was ruled a homicide, FOX 31 reported.
Police said the car theft victim who shot the boy was contacted at the scene and had not yet been arrested, as of Tuesday. The case remains under investigation.
"Per standard procedure, at the conclusion of the investigation, the findings will be presented to the Denver District Attorney’s Office for consideration of possible charges," police said in the statement.
This story was reported from Cincinnati.