Colorado officer indicted for murder after fatally shooting Black father during traffic stop
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Rajon Belt-Stubblefield was unarmed when Aurora police Officer Matthew Neely shot him three times after a 2025 traffic stop
A Colorado police officer has been indicted on second-degree murder and manslaughter charges following the fatal shooting of Rajon Belt-Stubblefield. The Black father was unarmed when he was shot three times during a 2025 traffic stop.
Belt-Stubblefield’s widow and eight children have also filed a federal wrongful-death lawsuit accusing the Aurora Police Department of excessive force and racially biased policing. According to Atlanta Black Star, The incident began on Aug. 30, 2025, when Aurora Police Officer Matthew Neely attempted to stop Belt-Stubblefield after clocking him at 54 mph in a 40-mph zone. Belt-Stubblefield continued driving before crashing into two other vehicles about a mile away.
Body-camera footage described in the lawsuit shows Neely approaching Belt-Stubblefield with his firearm drawn and ordering him to raise his hands. “Don’t shoot me,” Belt-Stubblefield said before getting out of the vehicle. According to the lawsuit, he was holding a firearm when he exited the car but threw it into the grass after being confronted by the officer. His teenage son was also nearby.
Neely continued ordering Belt-Stubblefield to get on the ground and move away from the firearm. Belt-Stubblefield instead walked toward the officer with his fists clenched and challenged him to fight, according to the complaint. Neely then fired three times, striking Belt-Stubblefield in the chest and head.
The lawsuit argues that the officer had access to less-lethal options, including pepper spray and a baton. It further alleges that Neely attempted to holster his firearm in order to use a less-lethal weapon but was unable to do so. The family contends that this demonstrated Neely recognized that his firearm was not the appropriate means of controlling the encounter. The lawsuit goes beyond Belt-Stubblefield’s death, alleging that the shooting reflects longstanding problems within the Aurora Police Department.
The family’s lawsuit also places the individual shooting within the larger history of Aurora’s relationship with its Black residents. Attorney Ben Crump, who represents the family, has said they will not allow the death to be “swept under the rug.”