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Murder In Aurora: City Employee Is Shot And Killed

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Nov 14, 2008 5:19 am US/Mountain

Murder In Aurora: City Employee Is Shot And Killed

AURORA, Colo. (AP/CBS4) ― An Aurora city employee has died after he was shot on the job while looking into a routine zoning complaint at an apartment building.

Officers were searching for the gunman after the shooting Thursday in the east-Denver suburb.

The Aurora Police Department said the code enforcement officer, 40-year-old Rodney Morales, was taken to the hospital, where he died.

"This is a cold blooded killing. We need the assistance of the community to find this killer," Dan Oates, Aurora's police chief, said.

Seven area schools were locked down for a while as dozens of officers looked for the suspect. Students were released to their parents and some left by bus before the lock-downs were lifted.

Code enforcement officers are responsible for enforcing city rules for zoning, housing and signs, as well as regulations for businesses. They aren't police officers.

The code enforcement officers don't wear uniforms. They wear shirts with the city of Aurora's logo and carry badges.

Authorities don't know if the suspect and victim knew each other. They do believe the shooter left a jacket-like sweatshirt at the scene with the words "south pole" across the front.

Morales was with another code enforcement officer, a woman, who didn't go into the building. She wasn't injured.

Aurora City Manager Ron Miller called the incident a "terrible tragedy and sad day for Aurora."

"The city of Aurora extends its heartfelt prayers and condolences to Rodney's family, co-workers and friends," Miller said in a statement. "He was a highly valued member of our organization, and we'll miss him greatly."

Police said a $10,000 reward was being offered for information leading to the identification and charging of the suspect.

Aurora's mayor added his voice to the call for help.

"We're really here as much as anything to ask for the community's help to find the person who did this and to make sure that things like this never happen again," said Mayor Ed Tauer

Anyone with information was asked to call Detective Gretchen Fronapfel at 303-739-6013.

(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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