Denver Teen, 18, Charged After Northwest Aurora Shooting, Robbery

An 18-year-old Denver man was arrested Sunday night after Aurora police said he shot and robbed a 21-year-old man in northwest Aurora, leaving the victim to drive himself to a hospital for treatment. Julien Weeks now faces charges of first-degree assault, robbery and violating a court order in connection with the case.

According to the Aurora Police Department, patrol officers responded to a shots-fired call in the 2200 block of Ironton Street after receiving a report of a 21-year-old man with a gunshot wound in northwest Aurora. The victim had self-transported to a local hospital before officers arrived, police said. The Aurora Police Department's Robbery Investigative Unit led the resulting investigation, with the department's Gun Violence Suppression Team also responding.

Detectives and patrol officers conducted an extensive evidence canvass that led investigators to identify Weeks as a possible suspect, per the department's account. He was arrested without incident around 8:30 p.m. Sunday and transferred to the Adams County jail, where he is being held on a $150,000 bond pending his first court appearance.

Gun Violence Unit's Expanded Reach

The Gun Violence Suppression Team's involvement in a robbery-related shooting reflects a broader shift in how Aurora investigates gunfire incidents. In January 2026, the unit expanded its mandate to cover all nonfatal shootings citywide, including cases where shots were fired into occupied vehicles or homes without anyone getting hurt, according to the Denver Gazette. The team was originally formed in 2023 with nine investigators to focus specifically on cases involving gunshot wounds.

That consolidation appears to be paying off in the numbers. The City of Aurora reported a 56 percent decrease in shooting victims in 2025 compared to the year before, while the Gun Violence Suppression Team posted a 70 percent clearance rate on nonfatal shooting cases, with officials crediting the centralized approach for the improvement. Roughly 40 percent of the unit's 2025 cases were helped or solved using technology such as Flock license plate readers, municipal surveillance cameras, drones and the city's Real Time Information Center.

The same unit made a similar arrest earlier this month, taking a 35-year-old Commerce City man into custody on attempted murder charges after a nonfatal drive-by shooting on Interstate 225 in central Aurora. That case, like the Weeks arrest, relied on vehicle identification and tips from the community.

Charges Carry Mandatory Prison Exposure

Weeks's most serious charge, first-degree assault involving a deadly weapon that causes serious bodily injury, is a Class 3 felony and a crime of violence under Colorado Revised Statutes § 18-3-202, carrying a mandatory prison sentence of 10 to 32 years if convicted, according to FindLaw. The robbery charge he faces, if it involves a deadly weapon or bodily injury, falls under the state's aggravated robbery statute, also a Class 3 felony punishable by 4 to 32 years in prison and fines of up to $750,000.

The violation of a court order charge ranges from a Class 2 to a Class 1 misdemeanor for a first offense, carrying up to 364 days or 18 months in jail, and Colorado law requires an immediate arrest for such violations. It remains unclear what court order Weeks is accused of violating or whether he had any prior relationship with the victim; those details were not included in the police account.

Formal charges have not yet been filed. The 17th Judicial District Attorney's Office, led by elected District Attorney Brian Mason, will make the final charging determinations before Weeks's first court appearance. The office prosecutes cases across Adams and Broomfield Counties and employs roughly 200 staff members based in Brighton, Broomfield and Westminster.

Investigation Remains Active

Aurora police describe the investigation as active and ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720.913.STOP (7867), where tipsters can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000. Crime Stoppers operates across seven Denver-area counties through a 24/7 hotline that does not require callers to disclose their identity.