Aurora suspect charged with five counts of attempted murder of police officer after shooting in Colorado

An Aurora man is charged with five counts of attempted murder of a police officer a shooting Thanksgiving night. The shooting occurred in the 900 block of South Dawson Way.

Officers determined that the suspect, Arnadin Varupa, fired several shots in and around the parking lot of an apartment complex.

A neighbor found a bullet hole in his ceiling the next day.

“The suspect was armed with a weapon that had an extended magazine that could hold up to 30 rounds. The potential for damage was incredibly high,” said Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain.

The incident began around 9:21 p.m. when multiple 911 calls reported shots fired at the apartment complex. Minutes later, the suspect was spotted at a bus stop across the street.

Officials began discussing ways to de-escalate the situation. However, things quickly took a violent turn.

“At approximately 9:55 p.m., officers made contact with the suspect and verbally asked him to raise his hands and move toward them,” Chamberlain said. “The suspect immediately turned to the officers and fired several shots in their direction. Some of those shots hit our police vehicles.”

One of the shots fired by the suspect hit the hood of a police vehicle. Officers were in the vehicle at the time.

“Gunfire continued between the suspect and our officers, and at some point one of the shots fired by our officers struck the suspect in the arm,” Chamberlain said. “He immediately fell to the ground.”

The suspect was taken into custody without further incident.

“Our officers used every means at their disposal to de-escalate the situation, but the suspect immediately responded with gunfire. Fortunately, no officers or community members were injured in this exchange.”

After Varupa’s arrest, it was revealed that he had a long criminal history, including previous arrests for attempted murder and robbery.

“Our officers were dealing with an individual who was not only violent, but also willing to turn to law enforcement for no reason,” Chamberlain said. “This man had a strong propensity for violence and his willingness to shoot our officers was frightening.”

Varupa was arrested on five counts of attempted murder of a police officer.

The investigation is not yet complete. Both an internal review and an external investigation are being led by the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office Critical Incident Response Team.

“We are committed to complete transparency in this investigation,” Chamberlain said. “This includes both an internal review of the incident and a thorough external review to verify the circumstances and ensure accountability.”

Authorities are asking anyone with information about the incident to come forward.