A former US Space Force sergeant who fired multiple rounds at two suspected carjackers outside his home, killing a 14-year-old, has been sentenced to over half a century in jail.
Orest Schur, 29, became emotional as he apologized for murdering 14-year-old Xavier Kirk before he was sentenced to 54 years in prison for the 2023 fatal shooting, the Adams and Broomfield Counties District Attorney’s Office announced.
“I am sorry for the events that occurred that night, for the pain, for the grief and trauma that have followed and for the impact that my case had on so many lives,” a tearful Schur told an Aurora, Colo. courtroom on Aug. 15.
The deadly shooting also left a 13-year-old hospitalized.
Schur, a then-Technical Sergeant with the US Space Force based in Aurora, was awoken by a car alarm outside his apartment at around 11 p.m. on July 5, 2023.
The then 27-year-old grabbed a pistol and ran outside to his Hyundai Elantra, where he spotted two people dressed in all black attempting to break into the car.
Schur confronted the individuals, but the would-be carjackers fled the area in another car.
The military sergeant gave chase in his car and fired multiple rounds at the teens.
The fleeing car crashed into the backyard fence of a home four blocks south of Schur’s residence.
Kirk and his teen accomplice hopped out of the damaged car and began running away as Schur continued to fire.
Kirk was found suffering from gunshot wounds to the head and back. He was transported to a local hospital and pronounced dead.
The 13-year-old, who was driving the getaway car, was shot in the back and managed to get to a relative’s house before being brought to a hospital and survived.
Schur was arrested after the shooting and charged with first-degree murder and first-degree attempted murder.
A jury found the discharged Space Force guardian guilty of the lesser crimes of second-degree murder and second-degree attempted murder on June 16.
During the trial, Schur claimed the two potential carjackers had shot first and he was acting in self-defense.
Investigators found 11 shell casings were fired, all from Schur, and concluded there was no evidence either teen was armed during the robbery.
Adams County District Court Judge Caryn Datz argued the trained military sergeant should have known not to take lethal action, CBS News Colorado reported.
The former Guardian faced up to 80 years in jail.
“This was vigilante violence at its worst and now a young man is dead,” said Adams and Broomfield Counties District Attorney Brian Mason. “The defendant took the law into his own hands, chasing down a fleeing vehicle and opening fire on its occupants. A 14-year-old boy will now never grow up because of the defendant’s actions.”
Kirk’s family called out Schur during the hearing, questioning why he shot at the unarmed boys.
“What Mr. Schur did to my son and his friend, to chase them down and execute him, over a car that they didn’t even take is ludicrous,” Kirk’s father told the courtroom.
Other relatives deflected from the teens’ brazen attempted carjacking to focus on Schur’s shooting.
“You know, kids make mistakes, and so, I always teach my kids in my family, like my nephews and nieces, about consequences and repercussions,” another relative, the outlet reported. “We’re not trying to excuse any wrongdoing of Xavier, or wrong they were involved in. The part that’s messed up is Orest Shur’s car was never stolen.”
Prosecutors read a statement written by the wounded teen, who also referred to his actions on the night of the shooting but called out Schur for shooting at them.
“An adult chose to use deadly force against two unarmed teenagers. That is not justice, that is not safety, that is not accountability. I survived, but I am not the same. My friend didn’t survive at all. And no matter what we did that night, I didn’t deserve to be shot, and Xavier didn’t deserve to die,” the boy wrote.
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