Shooting suspect who fell out of car while fleeing police in Aurora identified along with victim

AURORA | Police said the shooting suspect who “fell from a moving vehicle” he was driving while trying to escape officers last week was Gilbert Vermillion.

Vermillion, whose age was not disclosed, is being held in the Arapahoe County Jail on $1,001,000 bail and is charged with intentional murder in the death of Aaron Paul Dafner, 45, of Aurora.

The shooting case began around 10:45 p.m. on May 24, when police were called to the 3600 block of Zeno Way on reports of shots fired.

“When officers arrived, they saw an adult male fleeing in a vehicle,” police said in a social media post.

Additional officers arrived at the scene and pursued the suspect as he drove away.

“As the suspect made a turn, he fell from the moving vehicle,” police said. The car then crashed nearby.

“We believe he fell out of the car while cornering because the car door was defective,” Aurora police spokesman Sydney Edwards said in a statement.

Vermillion was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Dafner was treated at the scene. He was taken to a nearby hospital where he later died from his gunshot wounds.

Related