NEED TO KNOW
- Former U.S. Space Force signals intelligence analyst Orest Schur was sentenced to 54 years in prison for second-degree murder and second-degree attempted murder
- In July 2023, the Afghanistan veteran shot at the 13-year-old and 14-year-old boys after they allegedly attempted to steal his wife’s car
- Schur fired 11 shots at the two teens, fatally shooting one of them, Xavier Kirk, 14
Orest Schur, a former U.S. Space Force signals intelligence analyst, has been sentenced to more than five decades in prison after shooting two suspected teen car thieves and killing one of them, per a news release from District Attorney Brian Mason.
On Friday, Aug. 15, Judge Caryn Datz sentenced Schur, 29, to 54 years in prison after he was convicted of second-degree murder and second-degree attempted murder in June 2025.
He will serve 36 years behind bars for the murder charge and 18 years for the attempted murder, which will be served consecutively. Schur, an Afghanistan veteran, could have faced a maximum of 80 years in prison or a minimum of 26.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
In July 2023, in Aurora, Colo., Schur, who at the time was a U.S. Space Force technical sergeant, chased the 13-year-old and 14-year-old boys down after he allegedly caught them attempting to steal his wife’s car.
As the unarmed teens drove away and ultimately crashed the car, Schur fired 11 shots at them, per the forensic testing results — some of which hit 14-year-old Xavier Kirk in the back and head. He was rushed to the hospital, where he died.
The 13-year-old, whose identity has not been publicly revealed, was shot in the back but was able to get to a relative’s home for help. The teen was taken to the hospital, and he survived his injuries.
Pipkin Braswell Funeral Home
Ahead of Schur’s sentencing, he addressed the court and apologized for his actions. “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,” per CBS News.
At Schur’s sentencing, the boys’ family members condemned the boys’ actions, but said they did not deserve to die.
“You know, kids make mistakes, and so, I always teach my kids in my family, like my nephews and nieces, about consequences and repercussions,” one family member said, per CBS News. “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.”
Additionally, prosecutors read the surviving teen’s statement 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 statement read, per CBS News. “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.”
District Attorney Mason also issued a statement, calling Schur’s actions “vigilante violence at its worst.”
“Now a young man is dead,” the statement read. “The defendant took the law into his own hands, chasing down a fleeing vehicle and opening fire on its occupants. A 14-year-old boy will now never grow up because of the defendant’s actions. I’m grateful to the Aurora Police Department for their investigation and to my team at the DA’s Office for securing justice in this case.”
