Kilyn was 37-years-old, and a father of two. He loved to fish and go camping. He was a natural entrepreneur and excelled at stereo installation. He was the life at parties and always willing to lend a helping hand. He was loved and cherished by many who were lucky to know him.
On the 23rd of May, Kilyn was walking back to his home when 2 unmarked vehicles pulled up to him and multiple SWAT officers in military gear and assault rifles came out, taking Kilyn by surprise. The officers began shouting commands and Kilyn began to get on his knees putting his hands up saying “I ain’t got nothing”. As he moved his hands up in surrender, his phone in his right hand, Officer Michael Dieck fatally shot Kilyn. The other officers watched Kilyn bleed out, failing to provide any medical intervention. It was very clear that Kilyn was unarmed and what he held in his hand was a phone, but Dieck shot Kilyn regardless. It was murder.
Over a month later, APD released the footage and a statement, trying to smear Kilyns’ name and justify the actions of the officer, claiming that Kilyn was a “suspect '' with a warrant, only to be later found that the “warrant” was based off a witness who is blind and could not give an accurate description of the person that attacked him. Kilyn was racially profiled and murdered for the color of his skin. The Aurora City Council has dodged, silenced, and insulted the family of Kilyn and community during meetings, showing they too do not care about black and brown people.
Year after year, APD continues to brutalize and kill black and brown members of the community. We must stand up, together, against the oppressive nature of the APD. We must demand that Officer Dieck be fired and charged of murder. We must demand that the Aurora City Council provide financial restitution to the Lewis family for the wrongful death of Kilyn. Finally, we must go further and implement a real systemic change of how policing is done in our community. This can be done by enacting a Civilian Police Accountability Council. Elected civilian bodies from the community that have the power to investigate police misconduct, fire and hire police officers, determine budgets and policies, and have subpoena power.
The era of terror from APD must END!