Space Force cadet sobs as he's jailed for 54 years for killing 14 year-old who'd just stolen his car

Daily Mail​

6 hours ago

A disgraced US Space Force sergeant has been jailed for 54 years after chasing down two unarmed teenagers in a stolen car and shooting them, killing a 14-year-old boy.
Orest Schur, 29, broke down in the Aurora, Colorado, courtroom on August 15 as he apologized for murdering Xavier Kirk, who died after being struck in the back and head while fleeing the scene in July 2023.
'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,' a tearful Schur told the court.
The boy's 13-year-old friend was also shot in the back but survived. He was hospitalized and later submitted a statement condemning Schur's actions.
'An adult chose to use deadly force against two unarmed teenagers. That is not justice, that is not safety, that is not accountability,' the teen wrote. '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.'
According to the Adams and Broomfield Counties District Attorney's Office, Schur was jolted awake by his car alarm shortly before 11 p.m. on July 5, 2023, and saw his Hyundai Elantra being tampered with outside his Aurora home.
Instead of calling police, he grabbed a pistol, jumped into his car, and began circling the neighborhood.
Moments later, he spotted the teens driving away in another vehicle and gave chase. Schur opened fire, firing 11 rounds into the rear of the car and continuing to shoot as the boys fled on foot.
'This was vigilante violence at its worst and now a young man is dead,' District Attorney Brian Mason said.
'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.'
Jurors rejected Schur's claim that he fired in self-defense, with forensic testing proving he was the only one to discharge a weapon.
Prosecutors said Schur's wife dialed 911, telling dispatchers it was the third time someone had tried to steal their Hyundai.
She later told police her husband was so shaken afterward that he said he felt nauseous.
Months after Xavier was killed, his mother, Leslie Kirk, spoke out about the devastating loss.
'It's been very difficult because my son was only 14 and he had his whole life ahead of him,' she told Denver 7.
'This traumatic situation made me really lost and confused and very devastated. I feel like [Schur] could have called the cops and put it in their hands instead of him putting it in his hands. Because at the end of the day, he chased my son and his friend down and shot and killed my son. My son was just a kid.'
At the time of the shooting, Schur was a signals intelligence analyst at Buckley Space Force Base in Aurora.
Before joining the Space Force, he served as an Army sergeant, completing two tours in Afghanistan and earning 14 service awards, according to a military spokesperson. His military career ended when he was discharged last summer.
The US Space Force - the sixth and newest branch of the military - is tasked with protecting America and its allies' 'interests in space,' according to its website.
On June 16, 2025, Schur was convicted of second-degree murder and second-degree attempted murder.
He was sentenced to 36 years in prison for murder and 18 years for attempted murder, to be served consecutively for a total of 54 years.
The maximum he faced was 80 years; the minimum was 26.
He was taken into custody immediately to begin serving his term.
Adams County District Court Judge Caryn Datz noted that, as a trained military sergeant, Schur should have known better than to resort to lethal force, CBS News Colorado reported.
In court, Xavier's grieving relatives confronted Schur directly, accusing him of executing two unarmed boys over a car that wasn't even stolen.
'What Mr. Schur did to my son and his friend, to chase them down and execute him, over a car that they didn't even take is ludicrous,' Xavier's father said.
Another relative added: 'You know, kids make mistakes, and so, I always teach my kids in my family, like my nephews and nieces, about consequences and repercussions.
'We're not trying to excuse any wrongdoing of Xavier, or wrong they were involved in. The part that's messed up is Orest Schur's car was never stolen.'