Aurora police Officer Paul Jerothe, who was honored for his heroics during the theater shooting three years ago, will face a grand jury after he shot and killed an unarmed man in March. Jefferson County District Attorney Peter Weir announced Tuesday that he will take the rare step of presenting an officer shooting case to a grand jury.

On March 6, Jerothe shot 37-year-old Naeschylus Carter Vinzant, a career criminal who had absconded from his state parole on March 2. A grand jury could decide to file murder charges, exonerate Jerothe or decide on other charges in between.

Weir said the investigation, which has taken more than three months, has been extensive with “many, many witnesses,” and those interviews had generated facts and physical evidence. He said a grand jury, comprising Arapahoe County residents, would be thorough, impartial and independent.

“It’s important to me we do whatever we can to enhance confidence in the justice system,” Weir said.

Aurora Police Chief Nick Metz said he had expected a grand jury would be convened and that it, “in a lot of ways, is probably a good” decision.

“It allows the people of Aurora and Arapahoe County to weigh in on the decision,” said Metz, who was in his first week on the job when the fatal shooting happened.

The Aurora Police Department and attorneys representing Vinzant’s family released a joint statement, saying they supported Weir’s decision to take the case to a grand jury.

“We trust that the grand jury investigation will be a truth-seeking exercise that will reveal all information surrounding Mr. Carter’s death,” the statement said, referring to the victim by the name his family uses.

They acknowledged that a joint statement “may be unusual,” but said it “is an unprecedented situation.”

The statement also asked the community to be patient and respect the process. Both want peace in the community, the statement said.

The grand jury is expected to start in early July, and there is no timeline for how long it will take jurors to consider the case and decide if criminal charges are warranted.

“I don’t think it comes as a surprise to anyone that the grand jury is going to be empaneled,” said Jerothe’s attorney, Marc Colin. “I think it was anticipated given the circumstances.”

Jerothe, who first was placed on administrative leave, remains on desk duty pending the investigation.

A medic on the SWAT team, Jerothe was named in 2013 tactical EMS officer of the year by the National Tactical Officers Association for his handling of casualties during the July 2012 theater shooting.

Bob LeGare, chairman of the Aurora Public Safety Committee, called the decision “an appropriate thing to do” if the district attorney was unsure of what the decision should be.

“If the Jeffco DA had concluded this was a slam dunk the officer should not be charged, the DA would have said that,” said LeGare, who has no knowledge of what Weir may or may not have found in his investigation. “There must be something there to make the DA hesitant to exonerate the officer.”

The shooting stirred protests in Aurora, not only because it was a case of a white officer killing an unarmed black man but also because of the way the investigation was handled. Police shootings have generated protests across the country during the past year.

Jerothe was allowed to “decompress” for nearly a week after the March shooting before sitting with investigators for an interview. The department also pledged transparency in the case but little information has been released.

Vinzant’s family, along with angry residents, rallied outside the Aurora Municipal Center after the shooting. State Rep. Rhonda Fields, D-Aurora, also publicly questioned the department’s handling of the case.

It is not known what happened when Jerothe encountered Vinzant, who on March 2 had removed a state Department of Corrections ankle monitor. About 30 police officers responded to the scene on East 12th Avenue.

Arapahoe County District Attorney George Brauchler, who normally investigates Aurora police shootings, handed the case to the Jefferson County district attorney because of a conflict of interest.

Brauchler currently is prosecuting James Holmes in the Aurora theater shooting trial.

The grand jury will be convened in Arapahoe County because that is where the shooting happened. All proceedings will be confidential.

Weir and his staff will present physical evidence to the grand jury and call witnesses to testify. The grand jurors will be instructed on their options for criminal charges.

Colorado police officers rarely are charged for on-duty shootings.

Michelle Yi, a spokeswoman for the 18th Judicial District Attorney, said no one in the office could remember an Arapahoe County law enforcement officer being taken before a grand jury.

Last year, former Rocky Ford police officer James Ashby became the first Colorado cop in more than 20 years to be charged with murder in connection with an on-duty shooting death.

Ashby was charged with second-degree murder by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation after he killed Jack Jacquez Jr. in October.

Metz said he hoped the community would be patient and let the process play out.

“We understand there is frustration,” he said. “People don’t have all the information they want right now, but it will come out in time. I have assured many community leaders.”

Noelle Phillips: 303-954-1661, nphillips@denverpost.com or twitter.com/Noelle_Phillips