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Rajon Montrel Lee Belt-Stubblefield

Age : 37

Gender : Male

Race : Black

Date : 08/31/2025

Location : East 6th Avenue and Billings Street

City : Aurora

County : Adams

State : Colorado

Agency : Aurora Police Department

Officer(s) :Matthew Neely

Cause of Death : Gunshot

Event : Killed by police during traffic stop

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 08/30/2025, at approximately 7:30 p.m., Aurora Police Department Officer Matthew Neely was conducting speed enforcement on East 6th Avenue as part of a Labor Day weekend DUI operation. Neely reportedly observed Rajon Montrel Lee Belt-Stubblefield driving above the speed limit near Toledo Street and activated his emergency lights and siren. Belt-Stubblefield continued driving away while Neely followed at increasing speed with his emergency equipment activated. Approximately one minute and 20 seconds later, Belt-Stubblefield swerved, struck one vehicle, crossed a median and collided with a second vehicle near East 6th Avenue and Billings Street.
Neely arrived while Belt-Stubblefield’s damaged vehicle was stopped in an opposing traffic lane and emitting smoke. Neely immediately exited his patrol vehicle with his handgun drawn and approached Belt-Stubblefield, initially ordering him to remain inside the vehicle and then giving conflicting commands to show his hands and raise them. Loud music was playing inside the vehicle. Belt-Stubblefield opened the door, said, “Don’t shoot me,” exited and walked toward a grassy area beside the roadway.
Video from Neely’s body camera, civilian vehicles, nearby surveillance cameras and witnesses showed Belt-Stubblefield throw a handgun into the grass. Neely grabbed Belt-Stubblefield by his clothing and pulled him to the ground but did not handcuff him. Belt-Stubblefield stood up and moved away. Neely continued pointing his handgun, pushed Belt-Stubblefield and then struck him in the side of the head while repeatedly ordering him onto the ground.
Belt-Stubblefield gestured toward the discarded firearm and repeatedly told his adult son, who had arrived in another vehicle, to retrieve it. Neely ordered those present to stay away from the gun. Belt-Stubblefield then faced Neely, raised his hands into a fighting posture and repeatedly asked whether Neely was ready. His son pleaded with both men to calm down. Neely backed approximately 50 feet along the sidewalk and into East 6th Avenue while continuing to point his handgun at Belt-Stubblefield.
Neely fired two rounds into Belt-Stubblefield’s upper body. After those bullets stopped Belt-Stubblefield’s advance, Neely fired a third round into his head. Belt-Stubblefield was unarmed when Neely shot him. The handgun remained in the grass behind him. The grand jury later found that Belt-Stubblefield never verbally threatened to harm Neely and made no overt attempt to disarm Neely or recover the discarded firearm.
Neely stood over Belt-Stubblefield with his handgun pointed at him after reporting that shots had been fired. A woman who identified herself as an emergency medical professional approached with gauze and a tourniquet, but Neely rejected the offered supplies and did not permit her to begin treatment. Additional officers and paramedics arrived approximately two minutes after the shooting and began medical care. Belt-Stubblefield died from three gunshot wounds, including wounds to his chest or shoulder and head. His 19-year-old son, Zion Murphy, witnessed the shooting.
The Arapahoe County Coroner’s Office classified Belt-Stubblefield’s death as a homicide. Toxicology testing documented a blood-alcohol concentration of .274. Family members and their attorneys said his intoxication and the preceding violent collision impaired his ability to understand and respond appropriately, but did not create a lethal threat justifying the shooting.
Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain publicly defended Neely within days of the killing, blamed Belt-Stubblefield for creating the confrontation and described Neely’s physical blows as attempts at de-escalation. Chamberlain made those statements before Neely had submitted a formal account or been interviewed by investigators. Belt-Stubblefield’s family and attorneys accused the department of constructing a public narrative to justify the killing before the investigation was completed.
The Critical Incident Response Team investigated the shooting and submitted its evidence to 18th Judicial District Attorney Amy Padden. After reviewing the investigation and consulting experts in police tactics, operations and use of force, Padden presented the case to an Arapahoe County grand jury.
On 07/31/2026, the grand jury indicted Neely on one count of second-degree murder, a Class 2 felony, and one count of manslaughter, a Class 4 felony. The indictment alleged that Neely never told Belt-Stubblefield he was under arrest and deliberately did not give an immediate warning before firing because Neely wanted to preserve an “element of surprise.” The grand jury concluded that Belt-Stubblefield had not threatened to harm Neely, attempted to disarm him or attempted to rearm himself.
An arrest warrant was issued for Neely following the indictment. He surrendered on 08/01/2026 and was released after posting a $200,000 cash or surety bond. The Aurora Police Department placed him on unpaid administrative leave. His next court appearance was scheduled for 08/17/2026.
The indictment is especially significant because the central justification originally offered for the shooting—that Neely faced an imminent lethal threat—is directly disputed by the grand jury’s factual findings. Belt-Stubblefield had discarded the firearm, remained separated from it, made no movement to recover it and did not attempt to take Neely’s gun. The third gunshot was fired into Belt-Stubblefield’s head after the first two rounds had stopped his forward movement. The indictment also identifies Neely’s failure to announce an arrest, his decision to withhold an immediate shooting warning and his deliberate effort to retain tactical surprise as evidence supporting the criminal charges.
Belt-Stubblefield’s wife, Tandra Blankson, his son and other family members filed two notices of claim against Aurora in February 2026. The contemplated wrongful-death and emotional-distress lawsuits each seek at least $20 million. Attorneys Ben Crump and Milo Schwab are among the lawyers representing the family. Community organizations, clergy members and the Aurora and Rocky Mountain branches of the NAACP organized vigils and repeatedly called for Neely to be criminally prosecuted.
Neely joined the Aurora Police Department as a recruit in 2002, retired in 2023 and was rehired in March 2024. His personnel history included an internal-affairs investigation arising from a 2019 burglary case. An Arapahoe County judge found that Neely and Officer Paul Timmons gave testimony inconsistent with body-camera footage and ruled that neither officer was credible. The judge found that the arrest was unlawful, the force used was unjustified and the officers detained, searched and questioned the man without constitutional justification.
Aurora’s internal investigation sustained findings that Neely violated department policies governing conduct unbecoming an officer and unsatisfactory performance. The department did not sustain allegations involving dishonesty, unconstitutional conduct or improper force, and the disciplinary penalty was not publicly specified. The 2019 court findings nevertheless established a documented prior instance in which video evidence contradicted Neely’s account and a judge rejected his testimony concerning police force and constitutional authority.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.kktv.com/2025/08/31/traffic-crash-leads-deadly-officer-involved-shooting-aurora/
https://www.denver7.com/news/front-range/aurora/a-man-died-after-being-shot-by-aurora-police-during-aggressive-confrontation-that-followed-a-traffic-stop
https://www.denver7.com/news/local-news/apd-plans-to-release-more-information-after-man-shot-killed-by-officer-during-traffic-stop
https://www.denver7.com/news/front-range/aurora/bodycam-surveillance-footage-shows-fatal-police-shooting-of-rajon-belt-stubblefield-whose-family-responds
https://www.denver7.com/news/front-range/aurora/autopsy-report-shows-rajon-belt-stubblefield-was-shot-three-times-had-a-bac-of-274
https://www.denver7.com/news/local-news/family-of-man-killed-by-aurora-police-intends-to-sue-city-for-wrongful-death-emotional-distress
https://www.denver7.com/news/investigations/aurora-police-officer-who-shot-killed-black-man-expected-to-be-indicted-by-grand-jury-d7-investigates
https://www.kktv.com/2026/08/03/aurora-officer-indicted-by-grand-jury-connection-with-deadly-august-2025-officer-involved-shooting/
https://coloradosun.com/2026/08/03/aurora-police-officer-indicted-in-2025-shooting-that-killed-a-37-year-old-black-man/
https://www.cpr.org/2026/08/03/aurora-officer-indicted-rajon-belt-stubblefield-fatal-shooting/
https://sentinelcolorado.com/metro/grand-jury-indicts-aurora-cop-in-fatal-shooting-of-rajon-belt-stubblefield-at-traffic-stop/
https://sentinelcolorado.com/metro/rajon-belt-stubblefields-family-warns-of-lawsuit-after-fatal-aurora-police-shooting/
https://www.coloradopolitics.com/2025/09/17/aurora-councilmember-attorneys-criticize-police-chief-over-shooting-narrative/