Teen sentenced to decades in prison for role in two separate deadly Colorado shootings
AURORA, Colo. (KRDO) – An 18-year-old will spend decades behind bars for his role in two separate deadly Colorado shootings, an Arapahoe County judge ruled Wednesday.
Dhaevontae Rogers-Broadus was sentenced to three decades in the Department of Corrections after pleading guilty to shooting and killing an Iraqi refugee and a teenager at Aurora's Southlands Mall in two separate instances that took place just days apart.
Rogers-Broadus has been in custody since October 2023, when he turned himself in to Aurora Police following the Southlands Mall shooting. He was only 16 at the time.
Deadly shooting of Ahmed Zainuldeen
Prosecutors say on Sept. 19, 2023, Rogers-Broadus and two other teenagers were attempting to steal a car from the parking lot of an Aurora apartment complex when the car's owner, 23-year-old Ahmed Zainuldeen, heard his car alarm going off and went to investigate.
When he went outside, he spotted the three trying to break into his car and confronted them – which is when Zainuldeen was shot and killed by one of the teenagers.
Though Rogers-Broadus’ gun was used in the shooting, prosecutors believe he wasn't the shooter. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison in connection to Zainuldeen's murder.
According to the 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office, Zainuldeen and his family had just come to the United States from Iraq only nine months before his murder.
“This family moved to the United States of America to chase the American dream, and this defendant turned that dream into a nightmare,” Senior Deputy District Attorney Johnny Lombardi said. “Mr. Rogers-Broadus didn’t care who got harmed that night. All he cared about was stealing a car to get home so he wouldn’t be in violation of his probation.”
Southlands Mall Shooting
11 days after Zainuldeen was killed, Rogers-Broadus was involved in another shooting that resulted in the death of a teenager outside of Aurora's Southlands Mall.
On Sept. 30, 15-year-old Raphael Velin was shot multiple times in the mall's parking lot during an aggravated robbery. He was taken to a hospital, where he later died from his injuries.
Rogers-Broadus was arrested alongside four other suspects in connection to the murder, but investigators were never able to determine who was responsible for firing the fatal gunshot.
Rogers-Broadus ultimately pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in both cases – a class 2 felony in Colorado.
“Raphael will never be able to experience graduating high school, attending prom, going to college or eventually raising a family,” Senior Deputy District Attorney Cole Plummer said. “Ultimately, two families are torn apart by these senseless acts of violence. I recognized that no sentence will repair the harm this defendant has caused.”
Rogers-Broadus was sentenced to 30 years in prison for his role in Velin's murder, with that sentence to be served concurrently with the 20 years for Zainuldeen's death.
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