Former U.S. Space Force technical sergeant Orest Schur, 29, has been sentenced to 54 years in prison for the 2023 shooting death of 14-year-old Xavier Kirk and the wounding of another teenager during a botched car theft in Aurora, Colorado.
District Court Judge Caryn A. Datz, appointed by then-Gov. John Hickenlooper (D), handed down the sentence on August 15, 2025, calling Schur’s actions inexcusable.
The Shooting Incident
On the night of July 5, 2023, Schur was awakened by his car alarm outside his apartment around 11 p.m. He armed himself with a pistol and went to confront suspects trying to break into his Hyundai Elantra.
The teens fled in another car. Schur got into his own vehicle and pursued them, firing multiple shots as he gave chase. The fleeing vehicle crashed into a backyard fence about four blocks away.
Kirk was struck in the head and back and later died at a hospital.
A 13-year-old accomplice was shot in the back but survived after fleeing to a relative’s house.
The Trial and Conviction
Schur was originally charged with first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder, but in June 2025 a jury convicted him on second-degree murder and second-degree attempted murder.
Schur will serve 36 years for second-degree murder and 18 years for attempted second-degree murder. The maximum possible sentence was 80 years, while the minimum was 26. He was taken into custody immediately to begin serving his sentence.
During sentencing, Schur broke down in court and apologized:
“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.”
Victim Families’ Statements
Relatives of Kirk condemned Schur’s actions.
“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 court.
The surviving teen also submitted a statement:
“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.”
It’s not all of them, but it’s always them.©
And the whole damn thing started as a result of two, poorly parented, unsupervised teen criminal breaking the law. Should they have been shot? No. But their actions triggered the entire episode. They aren’t blameless and certainly aren’t heroes.
Imagine if the parents of of 13 year old knew where the kid was at 11:00pm at night. Imagine how many lives would now be on a different path.
so you rewarded the thief and encouraged more criminal activity, instead of holding them responsible for their actions, and where are the parents of these kids at 3AM, why are they not being held responsible??