AURORA, CO - On Tuesday night, April 8th, Aurora police arrested a man suspected of a drive-by shooting at a gas station. CBS News reported that the suspect, since identified as Mark Jackson, was on parole for a prior weapons conviction and is a suspect in an active attempted murder case involving a carjacking in 2024.
Police said the victim and five others were filming a music video at the gas station around 10:00 p.m. on Friday, April 4th when a white SUV traveling south down Peoria Street fired multiple shots at the group, striking one of them. The victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries. A witness told police that the shots sounded like automatic gunfire.
Investigators then determined that the suspect vehicle was a 2003 Chevrolet Suburban, which police had located on Tuesday near E. Quincy Avenue and S. Parker Road. The officers attempted to pull over the vehicle, but the driver, identified as Jackson, sped away.
Officers did not pursue the vehicle, but monitored its movements until Jackson and a female passenger abandoned the vehicle. Police chased the suspects on foot and deployed a taser to capture Jackson. The female passenger was taken into custody without incident. While investigating the scene, officers recovered a 9mm Glock 19 handgun outfitted with a switch, which converts a semi-automatic handgun into a fully automatic weapon.
Police believe that the firearm was the same gun used in the shooting that took place on Friday. Police also recovered a .40 caliber Taurus Millennium G2 handgun from the female passenger.
Jackson was booked into the Aurora Municipal Detention Center. He is facing charges of possession of a weapon by a previous offender, possession of a prohibited large capacity magazine, possession of a dangerous or illegal weapon, vehicular eluding, and reckless driving. Additional charges are pending. He is being held on a $250,000 bond.
The female passenger, a 16-year-old, was arrested and booked on an active warrant for failing to appear in court for a prior criminal offense. She is now facing charges of unlawful possession of a firearm by a juvenile, obstruction of a peace officer, and violation of a protection order.
Jackson is a repeat violent offender involved in numerous crimes in Aurora. At the time of Friday's shooting, he was serving a two-year parole sentence from the Colorado Division of Youth Services for a 2023 conviction for possession of a weapon by a previous juvenile offender. He has reportedly been arrested twice in the last six months for possession of a converted automatic handgun and was on parole during both arrests.
Jackson was also charged with attempted first-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder in connection with a carjacking in 2024. He was released from custody after posting an $80,000 bond.
Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain said, "Mark Jackson is a prime example of Colorado's flawed criminal justice system, particularly with respect to the state's juvenile offenders. There is no accountability for criminal actions. There is no justice for victims. There is no meaningful rehabilitation."
He added, "There is evidence in this case that Jackson did not know the victims of Friday's shooting and that he randomly targeted them. The public should be outraged that this violent, repeat offender has continued to navigate our criminal justice system without consequence and was allowed to continue to prowl our streets victimizing our community."
Police said the victim and five others were filming a music video at the gas station around 10:00 p.m. on Friday, April 4th when a white SUV traveling south down Peoria Street fired multiple shots at the group, striking one of them. The victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries. A witness told police that the shots sounded like automatic gunfire.
Investigators then determined that the suspect vehicle was a 2003 Chevrolet Suburban, which police had located on Tuesday near E. Quincy Avenue and S. Parker Road. The officers attempted to pull over the vehicle, but the driver, identified as Jackson, sped away.
Officers did not pursue the vehicle, but monitored its movements until Jackson and a female passenger abandoned the vehicle. Police chased the suspects on foot and deployed a taser to capture Jackson. The female passenger was taken into custody without incident. While investigating the scene, officers recovered a 9mm Glock 19 handgun outfitted with a switch, which converts a semi-automatic handgun into a fully automatic weapon.
Police believe that the firearm was the same gun used in the shooting that took place on Friday. Police also recovered a .40 caliber Taurus Millennium G2 handgun from the female passenger.
Jackson was booked into the Aurora Municipal Detention Center. He is facing charges of possession of a weapon by a previous offender, possession of a prohibited large capacity magazine, possession of a dangerous or illegal weapon, vehicular eluding, and reckless driving. Additional charges are pending. He is being held on a $250,000 bond.
The female passenger, a 16-year-old, was arrested and booked on an active warrant for failing to appear in court for a prior criminal offense. She is now facing charges of unlawful possession of a firearm by a juvenile, obstruction of a peace officer, and violation of a protection order.
Jackson is a repeat violent offender involved in numerous crimes in Aurora. At the time of Friday's shooting, he was serving a two-year parole sentence from the Colorado Division of Youth Services for a 2023 conviction for possession of a weapon by a previous juvenile offender. He has reportedly been arrested twice in the last six months for possession of a converted automatic handgun and was on parole during both arrests.
Jackson was also charged with attempted first-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder in connection with a carjacking in 2024. He was released from custody after posting an $80,000 bond.
Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain said, "Mark Jackson is a prime example of Colorado's flawed criminal justice system, particularly with respect to the state's juvenile offenders. There is no accountability for criminal actions. There is no justice for victims. There is no meaningful rehabilitation."
He added, "There is evidence in this case that Jackson did not know the victims of Friday's shooting and that he randomly targeted them. The public should be outraged that this violent, repeat offender has continued to navigate our criminal justice system without consequence and was allowed to continue to prowl our streets victimizing our community."
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Comments
2025-04-12T18:48-0400 | Comment by: Philip
Not long ago I really enjoyed going to Colorado via Denver Airport. There's a funk about that place now.
2025-04-15T11:43-0400 | Comment by: James
Time to put this scum away! Maybe Colorado likes to let this kind run free?!