Wife: Why Did Aurora Police Kill Father Of 3?

Police Say Plain Clothes Officers Had Altercation With Extortion Suspect

Alan Gathright, 7NEWS Content Producer

AURORA, Colo. -- The wife of a 59-year-old Aurora father of three is asking why he was shot and killed by an Aurora police officer Saturday night.

“He is the best father and husband," Margarita Guizar, Juan Contreras’ wife, said Sunday.

“I want to know what happened with him? Why (did) he have three shots?" asked Guizar, who sobbed while speaking with 7NEWS reporter Christine Chang.

“He said, 'I want to go to the Dollar Store,'" she said. "He went and never came back.”

According to police radio reports on Saturday night, a woman lost her keys in the parking lot of a King Soopers store. She returned to her car and found a note that said someone had her keys and to call a number, according to radio reports. When she called the number, the man on the other end told her if she wanted her keys back, she would have to pay $50, officers on the radio said. The woman called police and a police officer called the man to arrange a meetup, according to radio reports.

Aurora police Detective Bob Friel would not confirm the radio reports but said the shooting happened when plain clothes officers investigating an extortion case were led to the Family Dollar store parking lot at 12100 East Colfax Ave.

“At some point, there was a physical altercation between the officer and what we believe is the extortion suspect," Friel said Saturday night. “The officer did fire several rounds, striking the suspect.”

Paramedics took the wounded man to the hospital where he died.

Authorities have not identified the man killed in the shooting, but Guizar confirmed it was her husband.

A knife was recovered at the scene, but Friel would not elaborate on the role it played, if at all, in the altercation.

“I don’t know where the knife was at. All I can tell you is that we recovered a knife from this crime scene," Friel said.

Friel said he did not know if the officer involved sustained any injuries.

Fernando Soltero works at the O'Reilly Auto Parts store that shares the parking lot with Family Dollar. He told 7NEWS what he heard outside shortly after 7:30 p.m.

"(I) just heard three pops. I thought it was a backfire because obviously I work on vehicles and what-not. And shortly thereafter, a lady came in saying somebody dial 911," said Soltero.

Soltero went outside and saw a man bleeding from inside a Jeep in the parking lot.

“All I could see was blood on his left armpit and up towards his chest and that’s about it," said Soltero.