Ex-Space Force Analyst Suspected Teens of Stealing His Wife’s Car, and Killed 1 — Now He’s Sentenced to 54 Years

Orest Schur, a former U.S. Space Force signals intelligence analyst, has been sentenced to more than five decades in prison after shooting two suspected teen car thieves, killing one, according to a news release from District Attorney Brian Mason.

On Friday, Aug. 15, Judge Caryn Datz sentenced Schur, 29, to 54 years in prison after his conviction for second-degree murder and second-degree attempted murder in June 2025. He will serve 36 years for the murder charge and 18 years for attempted murder, to be served consecutively. Schur, an Afghanistan veteran, faced a potential sentence ranging from 26 to 80 years.

In July 2023, in Aurora, Colo., Schur—then a U.S. Space Force technical sergeant—chased two boys, aged 13 and 14, after allegedly catching them trying to steal his wife’s car.

As the unarmed teens fled and crashed the vehicle, Schur fired 11 shots, according to forensic testing. Some bullets struck 14-year-old Xavier Kirk in the back and head. He was rushed to the hospital but later died. The 13-year-old, whose identity remains private, was also shot in the back but managed to reach a relative’s home before being hospitalized. He survived.

Ahead of sentencing, Schur addressed the court, expressing remorse. “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,” he said, per CBS News.

Family members of the boys condemned their actions but emphasized that death was not a deserved outcome.

“You know, kids make mistakes, and so, I always teach my kids in my family, like my nephews and nieces, about consequences and repercussions,” one relative said, per CBS News. “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.”

Prosecutors also read a statement from the surviving teen in court:

“An adult chose to use deadly force against two unarmed teenagers. That is not justice, that is not safety, that is not accountability,” the statement read, per CBS News. “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.”

District Attorney Mason called Schur’s actions “vigilante violence at its worst.”

“Now a young man is dead,” 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. I’m grateful to the Aurora Police Department for their investigation and to my team at the DA’s Office for securing justice in this case.”