Rajon Belt-Stubblefield Was Shot Three Times During a 2025 Traffic Stop. His Family Has Also Filed a Federal Lawsuit Accusing Aurora Police of Excessive Force and Racially Biased Policing
An Aurora, Colorado, police officer has been indicted on murder and manslaughter charges in the fatal shooting of Rajon Belt-Stubblefield, a 37-year-old Black father who was killed during a traffic stop last year.
Officer Matthew Neely was indicted by an Arapahoe County grand jury on charges of second-degree murder and manslaughter in connection with the Aug. 30, 2025, shooting.
Belt-Stubblefield was shot three times, including in the chest and head, according to attorneys representing his family.
Belt-Stubblefield’s widow and eight children have also filed a federal wrongful-death lawsuit against Neely and the Aurora Police Department, alleging excessive force and placing his death within what the family describes as a broader history of discriminatory policing in the city.
Traffic Stop Ended in Fatal Shooting
The encounter began after Neely allegedly clocked Belt-Stubblefield driving 54 mph in a 40-mph zone. Belt-Stubblefield continued driving before crashing into two vehicles about a mile away.
According to Atlanta Black Star, outlined in the family’s lawsuit, Neely approached with his firearm drawn and ordered Belt-Stubblefield to show his hands.
“Don’t shoot me,” Belt-Stubblefield said before getting out of the vehicle, according to the complaint.
The lawsuit states that Belt-Stubblefield had a firearm when he initially exited but threw it into the grass after Neely confronted him. His teenage son was nearby during the encounter.
Neely continued ordering Belt-Stubblefield to get on the ground and move away from the weapon. Instead, the complaint says Belt-Stubblefield walked toward the officer with clenched fists and challenged him to fight.
Neely backed away before firing three shots. Earlier reporting on the shooting said Belt-Stubblefield was struck twice in the upper body before a third shot struck him in the head.
Family Questions Officer’s Use of Deadly Force
The federal lawsuit argues that Neely had less-lethal options available, including pepper spray and a baton.
Attorneys for the family allege Neely even attempted to holster his gun so he could use a less-lethal weapon but was unable to do so. The lawsuit argues that the attempt demonstrates the officer recognized another level of force could have been appropriate before he fired.
Attorney Ben Crump, who represents Belt-Stubblefield’s family alongside attorneys Milo Schwab and Harry Daniels, has called for accountability in the shooting.
“Rajon Belt-Stubblefield was a father, a son, and a beloved member of his community,” Crump said following the family’s review of body-camera footage in 2025. “He should be alive today.”
Belt-Stubblefield was killed in front of his then-18-year-old son, according to the family’s attorneys.
Aurora Police Have Faced Previous Findings of Racial Bias
The lawsuit also points to Aurora’s troubled history with Black residents, including the 2019 encounter involving Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old Black man who died after being stopped by Aurora police.
That history has previously drawn scrutiny from Colorado officials.
A 2021 investigation by the Colorado Attorney General’s Office found that the Aurora Police Department engaged in a pattern and practice of racially biased policing and excessive force. Investigators found significant racial disparities involving Black residents across police interactions, arrests and uses of force.
According to the state investigation, nearly half of the people subjected to force by Aurora police were Black even though Black residents represented about 15% of the city’s population at the time.
Belt-Stubblefield’s family argues his shooting must be viewed against that history.
Crump has said the family intends to continue pressing for accountability and will not allow Belt-Stubblefield’s death to be “swept under the rug.”
