Aurora councilmembers on Monday removed from the agenda a resolution that would have expressed the City Council’s “apology and condolences” to the family of a man killed by the police trying to arrest him for attempted homicide. 

The decision prompted a “sit-in” on the council floor and forced the council meeting to move to another room, as protesters filled the floor below the dais and shouted Lewis’s name.

The protesters took turns at the podium to speak over the sound of the council meeting being livestreamed from the next room.

Family of Black man shot while holding cellphone want murder trial for SWAT officer

“I yield my time for item number 11.a.11,” protesters said, referring to the agenda item sponsored by Councilmember Alison Coombs.

The council then voted to remove the item from the agenda, effectively rejecting it. 

“This is now our meeting,” Auon’tai Anderson, the former Denver Public Schools board member, said. “We gave you the chance to hear us peacefully speak on the item … We just wanted to be heard.”

Anderson led the sit-in. 

All of the councilmembers left the room, but councilmembers Crystal Murillo and Coombs returned to listen. 

Lewis was shot and killed by an Aurora police officer in May. The police said he did not comply with orders to get on the ground and raised a hand with a cellphone. He was not armed.

Video footage of the incident showed Lewis rummaging through the trunk of the vehicle. He did not appear to see two vehicles carrying the arresting officers pull up behind him. The video showed officers yelling for him to “get on the ground,” and he started to walk along the driver’s side of the car toward the front. He then took a cell phone of his back pocket and knelt to the ground with his hands up, repeatedly yelling “I don’t got nothing.”

The resolution from Coombs stated: “The City Council apologizes to the family of Kilyn Lewis, offers condolences for their loss, and recommits to ensuring unarmed individuals are not killed by our police officers.”

The protesters asked Aurora Police Interim Chief Heather Morris to come down to the floor and listen, and she did, standing in front of the crowd and hearing each person speak to her. 

Mayor Mike Coffman, from the other room, said it’s “only fair” that authorities let the investigation into the shooting incident be complete before making calls on it. 

The protesters have said they want Aurora authorities to fire SWAT Ofc. Michael Dieck and charge him for murder over the shooting of Lewis. Officers from Denver and Aurora had been following Lewis for days in an attempt to arrest him in connection with an homicide, in which Lewis allegedly shot a 63-year-old man multiple times.

Lewis’s family members then came forward and addressed Morris and several other officers. 

“To all of the officers in the room, would any of you like to offer an apology to Kilyn Lewis’s family, who is standing before you now?” they asked.

Initially, no one replied.

Eventually, Morris spoke.

“I will say this … no matter the circumstances, this is very tragic,” Morris said. “I have offered my condolences to the family and I will do that again.”

The sit-in finished just before 8:45, at which time police would have started making arrests due to the building closing, Morris and other officials warned the crowd. 

Lewis’ criminal record showed a history of violent crimes. He was arrested in 2004, and again in 2005, on felony charges of aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon, according to court records. He was sentenced to six years in the Department of Corrections and four years of intensive supervision. Lewis was arrested on burglary charges in 2015, pleaded guilty the next year and was sentenced to five years in prison. 

Court records also showed he was arrested on child abuse charges in 2005 and received a four-year prison sentence and three years of intense supervision probation. It’s unclear if that sentence was served concurrently with the robbery conviction.