Denver Women’s Correctional Facility officer faces murder charge in Aurora

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Police lights.
Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

Aurora Police on Friday said they arrested Department of Corrections Officer Scott Matthews Jr., 27, on a second-degree murder charge in connection with fatal shooting Thursday.

Department of Corrections spokeswoman Annie Skinner said in a release Matthews has been suspended without pay. Matthews had been employed with DOC since 2015 and works as a corrections officer at the Denver Women's Correctional Facility.

Officers responded to reports of shots fired at the Greensview Apartment Complex on East Alameda Place at 10:29 p.m. Thursday, according to a release from Aurora Police. When they arrived, they found a man with a gunshot wound. He died after being transported to an area hospital.

Matthews was off duty during the alleged incident. Police said he was interviewed as a person of interest in the shooting before he was arrested.

"First and foremost, I am praying for the family of the gentleman who was killed in this extremely tragic situation," DOC Executive Director Dean Williams said in a release. "We will assist the Aurora Police Department with anything they may need from us as they continue their investigation. We take this issue very seriously, and while he was off duty when this incident occurred, we will still conduct the appropriate internal review into this matter."

The victim will be identified by the Arapahoe County Coroner's Office.

Matthews is the second Department of Corrections officer arrested this week. On Friday, Denver police announced the arrest of Joshua Hensley, 38, who allegedly tried to pimp women including an inmate at the women's correctional facility.

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