Friends, family mourn Auralia
- January
- 30
5:00 am Box Live
Relatives of a 10-year-old girl who was fatally shot in her southwest Denver apartment spoke out Wednesday, saying the victim’s family is being wrongly accused of drug and gang ties.
“We need to clear up all this nonsense that it’s gang-related or a drug deal gone wrong,” said Jonathan Davis, 23.
Auralia Cisneros was killed Monday night when gunfire erupted in the doorway of her home.
Police are still looking for two suspects. The morning after the shooting, police said marijuana was involved and gang detectives were working the case along with homicide detectives.
Davis, who is a cousin of Auralia’s mother, Amanda Salas, said there was marijuana in the house, but no one in the home was dealing or selling drugs.
Auralia’s
Letter to Parents
Read Force Elementary School’s letter to parents following the death of student Auralia Cisneros.
father, Leo “Mickey” Cisneros, kept a gun in the home because someone had been trying to break into the apartment for the past two months, Davis said.
“They were scared,” he said. “That’s the only reason why he had a weapon.”
Davis spoke on behalf of the couple, who were not available for comment. His remarks could not be independently confirmed.
Davis said Auralia, a fifth-grader, was finishing up some homework and getting ready for bed Monday night when someone knocked on the apartment door.
“They opened the door and there is a guy standing there with a gun,” Davis said. “They never saw him before in their life.”
Davis said the stranger opened fire and Leo Cisneros returned fire.
“Imagine if Mickey didn’t have a weapon, how much worse this could be,” Davis said. “The guy started firing shots. Mickey fired back at the suspect in self-defense.”
Auralia was shot in the head, the Denver coroner’s office said Wednesday.
Denver Police Chief Gerry Whitman said Wednesday there were six or seven people, including children, at the apartment at the time of the shooting.
Kids in agency’s care
Denver social workers have taken custody of three children, Auralia’s younger siblings.
“The Auralia
Cisneros,
10, was shot
and killed
Monday
night. (Special to The Post)children are now in our custody and they are safe,” said Benilda Samuels, spokeswoman for Denver Human Services. “We are working with the family to make sure they have all the services they need.”
The agency did not receive any complaints about the treatment of the children before the shooting, Samuels said Wednesday.
“We had no involvement until this happened,” she said.
Whitman said detectives are investigating all angles, including the role Auralia’s family may have played. No arrests have been made.
“We’re working a lot of leads,” Whitman said.
Homicide detectives searched the apartment Tuesday and Wednesday for clues, he said. He declined to say whether drugs or any other evidence was found.
Whitman said detectives Carlos Cisneros, left, Auralia’s uncle, and Danny Mattorano, who lives next door to Auralia’s family, console each other Wednesday. Mattorano said he
had been in the Cisneroses’ apartment over the past three years and had not seen any evidence of drugs. (Post / Mark T. Osler)would like to speak with anyone who has been to the apartment recently.
“I’m convinced there are people who were involved or not involved who know what happened,” he said. “Hopefully we can solve this soon.”
Counseling at school
Auralia’s slaying affected a lot of people.
Grief counselors met Tuesday and Wednesday with students and faculty of Force Elementary School, where Auralia was a student.
Principal Ann Myers also sent a letter home to the parents of children Tuesday asking them to talk to their kids about grief and loss and look for signs of stress, including withdrawal and tearfulness.
“Some students may have some unresolved feelings and difficulty understanding the loss of their classmate,” Auralia Cisneros,
far left, and
a cousin pose in
an undated photo. (Photo courtesy of Jonathan Davis )Myers’ letter says. “You may wish to discuss death and grief further with your son or daughter.”
On Wednesday, Laura Vessey drove her children to Auralia’s home so her daughters could drop off a “goodbye note.”
Nine-year-old Savannah Deleon, Vessey’s daughter, rode a school bus with Auralia.
“I’m depressed because my best friend died,” Savannah said.
The note contained “pictures” Savannah drew along with her younger sister, 6-year-old Juliana. The sisters also left a toy in front of the apartment building where other mourners had left stuffed animals and candles in the snow.
“Just a family man”
Danny Mattorano lives next door to the Cisneros apartment with his two children, a 10-year-old and a 12-year-old.
Mattorano’s 10-year-old daughter, Delany, and Auralia were very close friends, he said.
Mattorano said he’s been in and out of the Cisneros apartment over the past three years and he has not seen drugs or witnessed anything that would indicate marijuana was being sold there.
“He was all about his music,” Mattorano said of Cisneros.
Cisneros is a rapper and hip-hop producer who makes his own CD recordings under the label Hustle Harder/Hustle Home, Mattorano said.
“He is just a family man,” Mattorano said. “He was all about his kids. Everybody is shook up about it.”
Kirk Mitchell: 303-954-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com
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