AURORA, Colo. — A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against a former Greenwood Village Police officer charged with killing a 17-year-old boy in Aurora last year.
The lawsuit filed Wednesday in Arapahoe County District Court claims Adam Holen negligently caused the death of Peyton Blitstein, whose father, Todd Blitstein, is listed as the plaintiff.
It says Peyton Blitstein's death was "tragic and utterly unnecessary, brought on by an overzealous neighbor who felt it was his duty to provide security to the neighborhood by chasing down teenagers he believed were being too loud or boisterous."
The complaint alleges Holen was in a "highly agitated state" when he pointed a gun toward Blitstein, who was a passenger in a car that Holen felt had cut him off.
Blitstein fired at Holen in self-defense, the complaint says, but Holen kept advancing on Blitstein and fired nine shots, hitting Blitstein multiple times and killing him.
Holen had resigned from his position with the Greenwood Village Police Department just weeks before the Nov. 24, 2021 incident.
He faces several charges, including second-degree murder. He's due in court for an arraignment on Aug. 29.
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