AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — The Denver metro is seeing a sharp rise in violent crime, and that is especially felt in some parts of Aurora.
“It’s tremendously concerning. It’s very worrying,” Daren Maranya, a co-owner of Vicky’s Thai Kitchen, said. “Vicky and I started a new business this year, and we regularly visit some of these places that have really bad violence.”
Our Data Desk crunched the numbers and found that in the past two years, violent crimes here have nearly doubled. There were 535 in the first quarter of 2019. This year, that number was up to 893.
Vicky Maranya, the co-owner of Vicky’s Thai Kitchen, told the Problem Solvers she buys supplies for her catering business in the same area where a person was killed after massive party in the early morning hours of June 20.
“I feel unsafe and afraid, because I go there every week. I shop over there every day, every week,” Maranya said.
The couple said they are now going to meet with Aurora’s mayor about their fears. Vicky said she worries something will happen again.
“I just want to be more safe and feel more safe,” Vicky said.
The Maranyas’ goal is to keep their business in Aurora open and feel safe , but they worry. Starting a new business is tough, and violent crimes here making it even more challenging.
The Maranyas tell us they will meet with Aurora’s mayor next month.
In another recent story, Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman said he’s holding the police department accountable and has asked Police Chief Vanessa Wilson to prepare a briefing for the city council on Monday.
Neither Coffman nor Wilson were available for an interview when this story was reported on July 15.