A former U.S. Space Force signals intelligence analyst accused of fatally shooting a suspected 14-year-old car thief and injuring his alleged accomplice was on August 15 sentenced to 54 years in prison for the crimes.
Per CBS News, Orest Schur of Aurora was handed the prison sentence after he was convicted in June. The July 2023 shootings occurred after 14-year-old Xavier Kirk and another 13-year-old boy allegedly attempted to steal Schur’s wife’s car.
The two teens, after noticing Schur had allegedly seen their actions, fled the scene. But Schur pursued and opened fire on them. Authorities said that though the boys were unarmed at the time, Schur went ahead to discharge 11 shots as the teens fled the scene. The 13-year-old boy was shot in the back, but he survived. Kirk, however, did not survive the shooting.
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Schur was handed a 36-year prison sentence after he was found guilty of one count of second-degree murder. He was sentenced to an additional 18 years in prison for one count of second-degree attempted murder.
During his sentencing, a family member implied that though the teens’ actions were wrong, Schur’s use of lethal force was unwarranted because the car was not even stolen at the end of the day.
“You know, kids make mistakes, and so, I always teach my kids in my family, like my nephews and nieces, about consequences and repercussions,” the family member said. “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.”
The 13-year-old who survived the shooting also wrote a statement that prosecutors read in court. “An adult chose to use deadly force against two unarmed teenagers. That is not justice, that is not safety, that is not accountability,” the teen said.
“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.”
Schur rendered an apology and asked for leniency before he was sentenced, CBS News reported. “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,” he said.
