AURORA, Colo. -- A 22-year-old recent college graduate and his girlfriend were shot to death in the middle of an Aurora intersection Monday night and his family members worry that the killing was to prevent him from testifying at a murder trial.

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Witnesses Hear Dozen Shots Ring Out During Double Shooting

The victims were identified by family members as Ja-Vad Marshall-Fields and Vivian Wolfe.

The shooting occurred just before 9 p.m. at the intersection of South Dayton Street and East Idaho Place in Aurora. Residents of a nearby apartment complex say they heard six shots, a pause, then six more shots.

"I heard the first series of shots. I heard the tires screech and I believe I heard a scream at that point, a girl's scream. And then I heard another four or five or six shots," said witness Greg Hance. "I just dropped the phone and came running outside with the flashlight. At that point, the suspect's car was gone."

When officers arrived, they found the couple inside a gold Chevrolet Monte Carlo that was riddled with bullet holes. Both victims had been shot numerous times. A witness said it appeared that the force of the gunfire pushed the driver into the back seat. Another witness believed that the driver jumped into the back seat to take cover during the shootout.

Marshall-Fields was pronounced dead at the scene. Wolfe was alive when she was rushed to a local hospital but died shortly thereafter.

According to family members, the Marshall-Fields had witnessed a murder last Fourth of July at a party that he had thrown in Aurora.

"(The party) got out of hand last year. Some kids got shot. As a matter of fact, (my nephew) got shot, trying to save one of his best friends," said Alan Baxter, the victim's uncle. "The person who shot him just walked up and brutally murdered him while he was lying on the ground."

"He was supposed to go to court next week to testify, or to make his presence known in the case. We're praying that this is not related to any of that," Baxter said.

Marshall-Fields had told family members that he was nervous about testifying, that he had been threatened and he anticipated trouble.

"He just had this scared feeling," Baxter said. "We don't know if they were watching him ... He calls me and then he calls his other uncle and he's real nervous. He's like, 'Uncle, they're after me.' And we're telling him, 'Don't go to court. If you don't feel right, don't do that.' ... We told him to just stay home, just stay off the streets."

Marshall-Fields and his 23-year-old girlfriend had just graduated from Colorado State University in Fort Collins and were hoping to move to Virginia in August.

"He was a good kid, just graduated from college three weeks ago and just came back from Maryland, from a job interview," Baxter said.

Police say the gunman or gunmen took off and remain at large. Officers are looking for a late-model, light-colored Oldsmobile, or a Buick Riviera, with a dark top.

"We believe there may be more than one suspect, or more than one shooter, that's still unconfirmed," said police spokeswoman Kathleen Walsh.

Although the shooting occurred Monday night, investigators remained on the scene until Tuedsday afternoon, hoping to turn up more clues and shell casings. Officers also searched a nearby grassy area with a metal detector.

Witnesses say the violent incident was something that they could never imagine in their neighborhood.

"I was outside cooking out. Right when I was walking in, I heard six gunshots go off and I hit the floor. And then, like five seconds later, I heard another six rounds come out and then I heard the car take off," said witness Oscar Aguillar. "It's things you only see on TV, not in real life. And there are people that are out there that do this and that's not good."

"Usually, I'm out walking my dogs about that time and I'm just kind of glad that we weren't outside because it basically started in front of my house and ended just a few houses down, so ... pretty crazy," said Hance.

Anyone with information regarding the shooting is asked to contact Aurora Police Department's Major Crimes Unit at (303) 627-3100.