On Thursday, a judge sentenced Adam Holen, a former Greenwood Village police officer, to two years in prison and three years probation for the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old. In February, a jury found Holen guilty of manslaughter.
In November 2021, 17-year-old Peyton Blitstein lost his life in a fatal shooting incident. It’s worth noting that Holen, who was involved in the incident, was not serving as a police officer at the time.
According to the doorbell video footage, Holen confronted Blitstein and his companions for speeding through a neighborhood in southeast Aurora. The confrontation quickly escalated, and both Holen and Blitstein were caught on camera drawing their guns and firing shots.
When the teenager was struck, Holen immediately administered CPR. As per the arrest affidavit, Holen acknowledged that he had drawn his gun initially, explaining that he had felt endangered. Nonetheless, he maintained that the teenager had fired the first shot.
As per the affidavit of arrest, Blitstein was found in possession of a ghost gun without any serial number.
Blitstein’s family responded to the sentence after the court’s sentencing hearing on Thursday.
Todd Blitstein, the father of the victim, expressed his disappointment over the lenient punishment given to the perpetrator who had undergone proper training before taking his son’s life. He lamented that it was disheartening to see someone waste their training and only receive a two-year sentence for such a tragic and regrettable decision.
