Shelter-in-place order in Aurora, Colorado, unrelated to gang activity | Fact check

The claim: Aurora, Colorado, shelter-in-place order was related to Venezuelan gang activity

A Sept. 5 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) includes an image of an Aurora Police Department SUV with text that reads “shelter in place.”

“Didn’t the feckless governor say the Venezuelan gang issues were all made up? But now the citizens have to shelter in place?” the post reads.

It was shared more than 600 times in a week. Another version of the claim spread widely on X, formerly Twitter.

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Our rating: False

The shelter-in-place order was issued to residents in an area where police were working to arrest a wanted felon. A department spokesperson said the order was not related to gang activity.

Order didn't apply to apartment complex at center of speculation

The claim came amid reports of Venezuelan gang activity at an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado.

While city officials have said there is a “small Tren de Aragua presence in Aurora,” interim Aurora Police Chief Heather Morris said in August that The Edge at Lowry Apartments had not been “taken over” by gang members, USA TODAY reported.  Tren de Aragua is a large criminal organization from Venezuela.

A shelter-in-place order issued Sept. 4 had “nothing to do with gang activity,” Aurora Police Department spokesperson Joe Moylan told USA TODAY.

Rather, the order only applied to “residents residing between Nome and Moline streets and 17th and 19th avenues” as police worked to arrest a wanted felon. The area is more than a mile from the apartment complex at the center of online speculation.

Alfredo Jaquez, 40, was arrested on a felony menacing warrant, and the shelter-in-place order was lifted.

Fact check: No, Obama never said Venezuelans have the government they deserve

USA TODAY previously debunked a false claim that a video shows Hells Angels on the way to Colorado to confront Venezuelan gang members.

USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Check Your Fact and Lead Stories also debunked the claim.

Our fact-check sources:

• Joe Moylan, Sept. 11, Email exchange with USA TODAY

• Aurora Police Department, Sept. 4, X post

• USA TODAY, Sept. 3, Police chief says Colorado apartment not being ‘taken over’ by Venezuelan gang despite viral images

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Colorado shelter order not tied to Venezuelan gangs | Fact check