An Aurora City councilmember and the attorneys of a man shot by an officer criticized the police chief for crafting a “narrative” about what happened — a charge that the law enforcement department denied.

Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain earlier said Rajon Belt-Stubblefield escalated the situation and “created the danger.” Belt-Stubblefield, 37, was shot three times and killed by an officer on Aug. 30.

The police department has released the body camera footage from the officer who shot Belt-Stubblefield.

In a news conference, the attorneys of Belt-Stubblefield’s family criticized the officer for shooting Belt-Stubblefield three different times — in the chest, shoulder, and head. He was not armed.

They said Chamberlain “crafted a narrative” about the shooting before an investigation could happen.

Attorney Ben Crump said family members “have seen the videos and we have a different narrative from what the police chief said.”

“The police chief said he was presenting the facts, then giving his own opinions,” added Attorney Milo Schwab, insisting an unarmed man was shot “unnecessarily.”

“He loved everyone from the moment I met him,” said Belt-Stubblefield’s wife, who was at the press conference, along with with his 18-year-old son. “He was everybody’s friend. He cared about everybody. He was my best friend.”

In September, Chamberlain said Belt-Stubblefield was shot after being “aggressive” toward a police officer and presenting a threat to both the officer and witnesses in the area.

Chamberlain said the officer “struck the suspect in an attempt to de-escalate the situation and to prevent him from focusing on the weapon and reaching that weapon.”

“(The officer) did not choose this confrontation,” the police said. “It was the suspect’s actions that escalated and turned this into violence. Had the suspect not fled, crashed into other vehicles, thrown a gun, encouraged others to retrieve that gun, and advanced aggressively towards the officer, we would not be standing here today.”

Belt-Stubblefield “created the danger,” Chamberlain added.

Chamberlain later said the officer who shot Belt-Stubblefield had not given his statement yet and had not been interviewed about the incident.

Chamberlain’s intent in press conferences is to provide the community with accurate facts and information, a police department spokesperson said in response to the claims from Belt-Stubblefield’s lawyers.

“In this case, he shared details of the incident that were not previously known to ensure transparency and maintain trust in the investigative process,” the spokesperson said. “The purpose was not to craft a narrative but to deliver facts as they were understood at the time, with the clear recognition that the independent investigation, which APD does not control, will ultimately determine the findings.”

During their news conference, the family’s attorneys said they will not yet be filing a lawsuit and will wait until the investigation is complete.

At a council meeting, Aurora Councilmember Alison Coombs echoed their sentiment.

She said Chamberlain’s “factual” statements about the case included justifications for why the officer killed Belt-Stubblefield before any investigation could be done and prior to the officer being interviewed about the incident.

“I think the community is more outraged not because we have to undertake an investigation — we do that every time (an officer-involved shooting) happens — but because there have been not one but two press conferences, in which details were revealed and a narrative was crafted,” Coombs said. “It was a narrative designed to attack a deceased person and to give credibility to the idea that their death was justified before the facts were able to be seen by anyone, including the Critical Incident Response Team.