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