Thread: Suspect in fatal Aurora double shooting cornered victims | Grabriela E. M. Avila

Suspect in fatal Aurora double shooting cornered victims in bathroom, police say

https://www.denverpost.com/2025/08/0...oting-suspect/

Aurora police arrested Michel Jordan Castellano-Fonseca, who police said fled the scene of the shooting

By LAUREN PENINGTON | lpenington@denverpost.com

PUBLISHED: August 4, 2025 at 7:24 AM MDT
UPDATED: August 7, 2025 at 1:15 PM MDT

A 30-year-old man suspected of forcing his way into an Aurora apartment and shooting two women, killing one of them, was arrested Monday morning, police said.

Michel Jordan Castellano-Fonseca shot two women in the head inside an apartment in the 1000 block of Cimarron Circle just after 3 a.m. Sunday, Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain said during a Monday news conference.

Castellano-Fonseca’s 30-year-old wife, who has not been publicly identified, was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. The wife’s 27-year-old sister died at the scene.

The Arapahoe County Coroner’s Office identified the 27-year-old woman as Grabriela Esmeralda Marquez Avila. Police previously said she was 26 years old.

The wife’s chances of survival are “limited,” Chamberlain said.

Chamberlain said the two women and five children who were inside the apartment at the time of the shooting tried to hide in the bathroom, but were cornered by Castellano-Fonseca.

None of the five children — ages 1, 6, 7, 9 and 15 — were injured, Chamberlain said.

Chamberlain said Castellano-Fonseca is a Venezuelan immigrant who was living in Aurora illegally. He entered the United States in December 2023.

Investigators believe the shooting stemmed from a domestic-violence incident on Saturday, during which Castellano-Fonseca threatened to come back to the apartment with a gun, police said.

Castellano-Fonseca left the apartment, illegally purchased a gun and fired multiple test shots to ensure it worked before returning to the apartment, Chamberlain said.

The man was high on narcotics and intoxicated, Chamberlain added.

Castellano-Fonseca fled the scene of the Sunday shooting in a green Acura MDX SUV before officers arrived, police said.

Investigators were able to track him to a nearby Taco Bell parking lot the next morning using Flock cameras, which alerted police when they captured his license plate.

He was taken into custody Monday morning near the intersection of Mississippi Avenue and South Chambers Road, police said.

“The terror that he caused to this family, the terror that he caused to that apartment complex, the terror that he caused that community should never have happened in the first place,” Chamberlain said.

Castellano-Fonseca has not been confirmed to be involved in any gang activity in Aurora, but police are investigating, Chamberlain said.

The man is suspected of murder and multiple aggravated assaults, but charges have not been filed, according to court records. His first court date had not yet been scheduled as of Monday afternoon.
Castellano-Fonseca was also identified as “Michael” in court records, but Aurora police spokesperson Joe Moylan said the department’s records all refer to the man as “Michel.”

Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867.

This is a developing story and may be updated.