12-Year-Old Boy Fatally Shot After Being Found in Alleged Stolen Car in Denver

Authorities are now investigating the events that led to the fatal shooting and the car theft

The scene in Denver where a 12-year-old boy was fatally shot in an alleged stolen car. Photo: Fox31 Denver/YouTube

A man in Denver fatally shot a 12-year-old boy on Feb. 5 after he found the child in his allegedly stolen car, according to Denver Police.

Authorities are now investigating the events that led up to the fatal shooting and the car theft after the man — not identified by Denver Police — reported his car was stolen and said he was tracking the vehicle via an app.

The man eventually approached the stopped car about 10 miles away and was "involved in an exchange of gunfire," according to authorities. The boy then drove away from the man, before being found by police with a gunshot wound and taken to the Denver Health Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, per police. It was not clear if the boy had been driving the car before the shooting took place.

As the New York Times reports, the boy was later identified by the Denver Office of the Medical Examiner as Elias Armstrong and was found to have died of a gunshot wound. Other people were reportedly in the car with the child, but police say they fled the scene on foot before police arrived.

The "adult male auto theft victim," as police described him, was not arrested and the shooting remained "under investigation" last week. "Per standard procedure, at the conclusion of the investigation, the findings will be presented to the Denver District Attorney's Office for consideration of possible charges," a release read.

Denver Police told PEOPLE on Monday that the investigation is still ongoing, the other occupants of the vehicle who fled the scene "have not yet been located," and the owner of the vehicle has not yet been arrested — with the DA's office ultimately making "the determination regarding possible charges."

The scene in Denver where a 12-year-old boy was fatally shot in an alleged stolen car. Fox31 Denver/YouTube

Jamie Torres, a Denver city councilwoman, told local station KUSA that she was "heartbroken" by the news of the 12-year-old boy's death.

"I know auto theft is a growing issue, not just in Denver but everywhere, and it's infuriating to be victimized like that," Torres shared. "But I discourage any resident to taking a vigilante approach."

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Gun violence, as the Times reports, is the leading cause of death for children in America. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics point to the child death rate from guns in 2021 being its highest in more than 20 years, per the Times, with 3,597 children dying from gunfire — 2,279 of which were homicides.

In November 2021, a child and an adult were shot and killed in Colorado Springs during a shooting at a skatepark. The young boy was found dead at the scene as two others, an adult and another child, were found injured.

The adult eventually succumbed to their injuries, and an anonymous 13-year-old boy told The Gazette at the time that the skate park where the shooting occurred was "usually a chill place."