AURORA, Colo. – The man accused of shooting and killing a 17-year-old boy at the Aurora Town Center last Friday made his first court appearance Monday as the police department said it was working with the shopping mall to make changes to increase safety there.
Kamyl Xavier Garrette, 18, is being held without bond following Monday’s court appearance and is set to be formally charged on Jan. 6. He is accused of shooting and killing Nathan Poindexter, 17, in the JCPenney store and is being held on suspicion of first-degree murder.
Poindexter’s uncle, Damon Jones, said an argument led to a fight and then the shooting while Poindexter was at the mall with his family. It was at least the fourth shooting at the mall this year – two of which left people dead.
New Aurora Interim Police Chief Vanessa Wilson said at her introductory news conference Monday morning that the department was going to make recommendations to the mall for safety changes and that the two sides had a meeting set up for later this week.
Wilson said there were off-duty officers assigned to Aurora Town Center and increased patrols after Friday’s shooting and another earlier this month. She said she couldn’t comment on the case but said there was “an argument” that took place between two groups of people before the shooting.
A spokesperson for Washington Prime Group, which manages the mall, said in a statement that they were working closely with Aurora police during the investigation. Another teenager was shot and killed at the mall in March.
