Aurora, CO (12293 E Iliff Ave)

12293 E Iliff Ave was a Showbiz Pizza Place/Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza which opened on January 28, 1981 as a Showbiz Pizza Place with a Rock-afire Explosion, and closed on April 20, 1994 as a Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza with a 3-Stage. This location is notorious due to the fatal shooting that took place on December 14, 1993.

This location is not to be confused with the Pizza Time Theatre on 634 Peoria St which opened in 1982 (Unknown Day & Month) & closed in 1984 (Unknown Day & Month) with a Balcony Stage or the current location on 14005 E Exposition Ave, which opened on November 2, 1999 with a Studio C Alpha, and is still open with the 2.0 remodel.

As a Showbiz Pizza (January 28, 1981 - Early 90's)
The location opened on January 28, 1981 with a Rock-afire Explosion stage. Unfortunately, information on Aurora as a Showbiz is scarce. It is unknown if they ever received the 1988 remodel.

Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza (Early 90's - December 1993)
Between 1991 and 1992, Concept Unification was in full swing, and Aurora fell victim. This involved removing all Showbiz décor for Chuck E. Cheese's décor, kept artifacts from the 1988 remodel (if they ever got it), and changing the Rock-afire Explosion into the 3-Stage. The store was popular in the Aurora area until the night of December 14, 1993.

December 1993 Massacre
In May 1993, a man named Nathan Dunlap started working at the Aurora store as part of the kitchen crew. He was fired following a disagreement about schedule hours with one of the managers in July 1993. Dunlap frequently visited the store following his dismissal but according to his acquaintances and former coworkers, he grew angry and plotted to return to the restaurant and rob the place. On December 14, 1993, Dunlap came to the store around 9:00 PM, ordered a ham and cheese sandwich and played an arcade game. Around 9:50, he went to the restroom and hid there until closing to "amp himself up" for what he was about to do. 5 minutes after closing, he exited the bathroom and shot everyone he saw. The only people in the restaurant were employees and his first victim was Sylvia Crowell, who was cleaning up the salad bar. Nathan shot her in the right ear, and was mortally wounded. Next, he found Ben Grant, who was vacuuming the floor. He shot him near his right eye, also mortally wounding him. He then found Colleen O'Connor, who pleaded for her life, but shot her in the forehead. The second-to-last victim was Bobby Stephens, who was the only survivor. He was shot in the jaw, and played dead. Nathan moved on after shooting Stephens and went to the back room to find the night manager and final victim Marge Kohlberg who was counting money. Nathan forced her to open the safe to which she complied and he shot her in her in the ear. After noticing she was still moving, he fatally shot her in her other ear.

Bobby Stephens, the lone survivor of the shooting, got up after Nathan went to the office and ran through the hallway of the restaurant to the exit and saw the bodies of his deceased coworkers on the floor. He ran to a nearby apartment complex and told them him and others were shot at the restaurant and to call 911. Nathan's mother who was at the Chuck E. Cheese following the murders, was told to call her son and he was arrested the following day. Dunlap was charged with 4 counts of first degree murder, attempted murder, robbery, and burglary and sentenced to death in 1996. The death sentence was changed to life in prison without parole in 2020.

Post Shooting and Closure (April 20, 1994 - Today)
CEC expressed great sorrow for the unreasonable tragedy that happened in December 1993 and announced that the Aurora store will be closed indefinitely. The store permanently closed on April 20, 1994 likely out of respect for the victims families and due to the horrible tragedy that happened months prior. The building was demolished and turned into a Panera Bread years later. As of June 2023, Panera Bread still occupies the space.

Stages
The store at first contained a Rock-afire Explosion show. It is unknown if they received the Showbiz Pizza Campground upgrade in the late '80s. It was changed into a 3-Stage between 1991 and 1992 due to Concept Unification. The 3-Stage remained until the April 1994 closure. The history of their bots is completely unknown.