Violent Shootings in Aurora

In Aurora, Colorado, on April 12, 2025, a drive-by shooting near Alameda Parkway and Chambers Road left three people injured: a man, a woman, and a 12-year-old girl. The victims were driving when the suspect, 18-year-old Christopher Campos-Anguiano, allegedly fired at their vehicle following a theft. The man sustained serious injuries, while the woman and the girl suffered minor injuries. Campos-Anguiano, a Hispanic male, was arrested and faces five counts of attempted second-degree murder. The shooting occurred around 8:45 p.m., with witnesses reporting the victims’ SUV was pierced by bullets, narrowly missing three children in the back seat.

Aurora’s challenges with youth violence are further highlighted by another case. On April 30, 2025, 18-year-old Dhaevontae Rogers-Broadus, a Black male, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for his role in two deadly shootings in 2023. The first incident occurred on September 19, 2023, in the 7400 block of East Harvard Avenue, where Rogers-Broadus and two other teens attempted to steal a car. The car’s owner, 23-year-old Ahmed Zainuldeen, an Iraqi refugee who had moved to Denver nine months earlier, confronted them and was shot and killed. Eleven days later, on September 30, 2023, Rogers-Broadus was involved in the murder of 15-year-old Raphael Velin in the parking lot of Southlands Mall during an aggravated robbery. Velin was shot multiple times, and Rogers-Broadus pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in both cases.

Lewis Loflin notes that these incidents reflect a pattern of youth violence in Aurora, often involving young males from specific demographics. Campos-Anguiano and Rogers-Broadus’ actions align with trends observed in local news searches, where violent crimes are frequently tied to a criminal subculture. These cases, alongside another Aurora shooting on April 10, 2025, where 18-year-old Mark Jackson shot at a group filming a music video, injuring one person, underscore the city’s ongoing struggle with violent crime.

The Suspects and the Criminal Subculture

Lewis Loflin views the actions of Campos-Anguiano and Rogers-Broadus as part of a broader criminal subculture defined by violence, petty crime, and a refusal to engage in responsible behaviors like employment or education. Campos-Anguiano, an 18-year-old Hispanic male, stole from his victims before shooting at their vehicle, suggesting a lack of responsibility and a propensity for violence. Similarly, Rogers-Broadus, an 18-year-old Black male, was involved in two fatal shootings at 16, targeting an Iraqi refugee and a teenage boy during theft-related crimes. His actions, including using a gun while on probation, further exemplify the subculture’s destructive tendencies. Both suspects’ ages and the nature of their crimes imply disengagement from societal norms.

Loflin argues that systemic failures in law enforcement, particularly the refusal to prosecute illegal gun possession, contributed to these incidents. In Colorado, it’s illegal for individuals under 21 to carry handguns without a permit, and federal law prohibits those under 18 from possessing handguns. Campos-Anguiano and Rogers-Broadus (at 16 during his crimes) were in violation of these laws, yet there’s no record of prior intervention to address their illegal firearm possession. Rogers-Broadus was even on probation during his first murder, highlighting a lack of accountability. This echoes the Winston-Salem case involving Tabb and Hall, where lax enforcement allowed armed juveniles to escalate to murder. Loflin points to broader trends, noting that some jurisdictions fail to prosecute a significant percentage of illegal gun possession cases—reports suggest up to 65% of such crimes go unprosecuted in certain states—enabling armed individuals to remain on the streets and commit violent acts like these shootings.

Lewis Loflin also critiques broader systemic issues in Aurora, such as minimal enforcement against drug dealing and crimes associated with illegal aliens, which are believed to exacerbate the criminal subculture. While not directly tied to these cases, these factors create an environment where violence thrives. Loflin rejects the Left’s framing of these behaviors as “white supremacy,” instead attributing them to a criminal subculture enabled by lax law enforcement practices, a pattern seen in other cases like the Cricket Wireless attack in Phoenix and the Winston-Salem murder.

Mugshot of Christopher Campos-Anguiano, arrested for the April 2025 Aurora drive-by shooting.
Christopher Campos-Anguiano

Mugshot of Dhaevontae Rogers-Broadus, sentenced for the 2023 Aurora double murder.
Dhaevontae Rogers-Broadus

Color of Crime in Colorado

Lewis Loflin examines racial disparities in Colorado’s crime statistics, arguing that a criminal subculture drives these trends. According to U.S. Census data for Colorado (July 1, 2021), the population breakdown is: white alone 70.7%, Hispanic 21.9%, Black 4.1%, Asian 3.3%, American Indian 1.7%, and Pacific Islander 0.2%. Of the Hispanic population, approximately half are male, meaning Hispanic males constitute about 10.95% of the total population. Similarly, Black males, assuming an even gender split, make up about 2.05% of the population.

Despite Hispanic males comprising only 10.95% of the population, they are overrepresented in violent crime arrests in Colorado, per the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) 2022 data:

Lewis Loflin notes that Hispanic males, a small demographic at 10.95% of the population, account for a significant portion of violent crime arrests (32% to 39%), as exemplified by Campos-Anguiano. Similarly, Black males, at just 2.05% of the population, show a stark overrepresentation, with 20% to 27% of arrests in these categories. Rogers-Broadus’ case further highlights this trend, as he fits the demographic profile of Black males disproportionately involved in violent crime.

Black males’ overrepresentation is also tied to the high number of Black felons. A 2017 study by the University of Georgia estimated that, as of 2010, 33% of African-American adult males in the U.S. had a felony conviction, compared to 8% of the overall population. In Colorado, the same study found that about 3% of the adult population had a felony record, but for Black adults, this rate was around 10%, with many having been incarcerated at some point. Rogers-Broadus, already on probation at 16, exemplifies how felony convictions and prior criminal involvement can perpetuate a cycle of crime, particularly among Black males, leading to further violence.

Loflin argues that both Hispanic and Black males’ overrepresentation in crime statistics is tied to a criminal subculture involving violence, lack of responsibility, and other destructive behaviors, as seen in both Campos-Anguiano and Rogers-Broadus’ actions. This subculture is enabled by systemic failures, such as the refusal to prosecute illegal gun possession, which allows individuals to remain armed and escalate to violent acts. Loflin observes that white communities in Colorado face similar economic challenges but show lower crime rates, suggesting cultural factors, not poverty, drive these trends. The Left’s framing of these behaviors as “white supremacy” is rejected, with systemic issues like lax law enforcement and societal tolerance of destructive behaviors identified as key contributors to the persistence of this subculture.

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