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2:51 PM PT -- A spokesperson for Colorado Gov. Jared Polis told TMZ in response to our story: "Over the last month, Gov. Polis has been in regular contact with the City of Aurora and the Aurora Police Department and has offered all state assistance to support their efforts if requested."

"He really hopes that the city council members in charge stop trashing their own city when they are supposed to keep it safe. We know violent crime in Aurora went down between 2022-2023, fully expect the data will show further declines for 2024, and the recent misinformation campaign threatens actual criminal investigations and could hurt the climate for small businesses in Aurora.”

The Aurora, Colorado councilwoman who leaked video of alleged gang members storming into an apartment in the Denver metro city ... says men with guns control buildings full of American residents, and the living conditions she describes are terrifying.

Councilwoman Danielle Jurinsky spoke with TMZ Thursday about the viral video  ... saying she released the clip 'cause she feels politicians aren't moving quickly enough to fix the dangerous issue, instead playing politics with people's lives.

Jurinsky describes the grim scenes at apartment complexes she's seen and visited ... trash, broken windows and other vandalism -- and lots of guns. She claims American families are trapped by thugs who've taken over.

It's been nearly 5 months since "The Real Housewives of Orange County" star Lauri Peterson announced the passing of her son, Josh Waring ... and TMZ has learned what caused his death.

California's Orange County Sheriff-Coroner Department tells TMZ ... the Bravo personality's late son died from the combined effects of fentanyl, methamphetamine and olanzapine -- with the death officially ruled "accidental."

Lauri hinted drugs may have played a factor in Josh's death when she disclosed his passing on Instagram back in April.

2 Live Crew founder Uncle Luke's half-joke about sexualized female rappers such as Sexyy Red, Ice Spice and Megan Thee Stallion owing him royalties is actually no laughing matter, according to Ed Lover.

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Ed in NYC on Thursday and the veteran host remembers the doors Luke kicked down for hip hop during his "Yo! MTV Raps" heyday ... and agrees the girls need to open their Birkins and pay homage -- and money to the Miami legend!!!

Luke called out Sexyy, Ice and Meg by name ... but also extended his rant to any female rappers out there shaking their ass for cash. Ed Lover says that even includes p-power pioneers Lil Kim and Foxy Brown -- he says they got their sauce from 2LC!!!

Comedian Doug Stanhope had fans on edge, thinking he’d been arrested on a live stream -- but TMZ has learned it's all just a false alarm ... and a little bit of role-playing.

Despite the dramatic online footage scene, the actor's not in trouble at all -- a Cochise County Sheriff's Office spokesperson tells TMZ Doug's Arizona home was used for a training mission by the county SWAT team ... and he gave them the full go-ahead to do so.

A spokesperson clarified when the training kicked off, nobody was home. But, Doug showed up during the final training scenario, asked to join as a role-player, and got the green light. It was all voluntary.

Joey Lawrence got back on his feet days after the date his estranged wife says they separated ... hitting the dancefloor with Melina Alves just one week later.

The actor and the screenwriter -- whose alleged relationship has been heavily scrutinized recently -- hit Añejo Cantina and Grill, a Mexican food restaurant in Sherman Oaks, back in June ... and, TMZ's obtained video of their flirty interactions.

Check out the clip ... Joey and Melina hit the dancefloor, showing off their fancy footwork before locking in an embrace while swaying to the beat.

Lana Del Rey’s rumored new flame, Jeremy Dufrene, ain't just charming the singer -- he’s also got a taste for gator smooches ... as seen in a video from his day job, obtained by TMZ.

The Louisiana-based alligator tour guide, Jeremy Dufrene, who works at Airboat Tours by Arthur in Des Allemands, LA -- where he first met Lana back in 2019 when she took his tour -- is seen fearlessly inviting a gator to his tour boat for a peck.

You can hear everyone on the tour freaking out ... but Jeremy's living his best life, kissing and feeding a gator that’s so eager it practically hopped on board to join the boat party.

Sharon Osbourne's very grateful a fan returned her massive diamond ring ... and, it clearly pays to be honest -- 'cause she's offering that fan a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Here's the deal ... Osbourne revealed to her Instagram followers she lost her wedding ring at a Birmingham event for soccer team Aston Villa's new store -- but, luckily, a Good Samaritan found it and chased her down in the parking lot to return it.

At the time, Sharon explains, she was so shocked, she didn't get the fan's name ... and asked fans for help identifying her guardian angel 'cause losing her wedding ring -- her second, after the original was stolen -- would've been really unfortunate.

Nicole Eggert isn't losing sleep over Jeremy Jackson confessing he's gotten up-close and personal with the scent of her privates ... instead, she's applauding her "Baywatch" costar for his frankness.

We caught up with the actress after Jeremy went viral for admitting he would sneak into "Baywatch" trailers and sniff the crotches of the iconic red swimsuits his female castmates wore.

While Nicole admitted she didn't know about Jeremy's naughty on-set antics when they were going down, she made it clear she's unbothered by the foul truth.

Nina Agdal ain't playin' with online trolls ... 'cause she just sued a social media influencer for making false and defamatory accusations about her.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Agdal says Hassan Haider repeatedly published a fabricated narrative online in August and September 2023, in which he falsely claimed he banged her in a bathroom after waving a bag of cocaine in front of her.

She says Haider concocted the tale that he met the swimsuit model at an L.A. bar and claims she basically traded sex for drugs with him in a public restroom.

The Davenport Police Department released body cam video of the Iowa police officer fatally shooting a dog in front of 2 kids, saying the cop's actions were lawful, but the pooch's owner has a very different take.

The PD released the footage Wednesday along with the shooting officer's report, which states the salivating dog aggressively confronted him, baring its teeth and repeatedly snapping at him. The video clearly shows the canine lunging toward the frightened officer, identified by Our Quad City News as Ethan Bock.

However, the dog's owner, Don Hesseltine, tells TMZ ... Bock should be criminally charged and tossed in jail for killing his beloved Myst.

Hulk Hogan's beer tour has basically turned into a full-fledged Donald Trump campaign at this point ... 'cause days after the wrestling legend made controversial comments about Kamala Harris, he was back to rallying for his good friend.

The Hulkster hit up Moonshine Alley in Providence, Rhode Island on Tuesday to continue promoting his "Real American Beer" ... but at one point in the night, he shifted his focus from booze to politics.

TMZ Sports has obtained a clip of Hulk's time on the mic ... and while it wasn't nearly as polarizing as his go-round in Ohio, it was still very much pro-Trump.

Bill Withers' old Hollywood Hills pad, where he lived for decades, has sold off-market for a cool $3.7M -- 5 years after he unloaded it -- right before he died.

Real estate sources tell TMZ ... the mansion’s new owner is none other than Belwood Investments, a real estate property-tech app -- who are planning on making major renovations, adding a suspended pool in the back, and flipping it for investors' profit.

Belwood Investments is a "real estate crowdfunding firm" that lets people invest in fixing up homes ... and these are the same people who scooped up Kanye West's controversial gutted Malibu estate for $21 million.

A woman went to a laser hair removal company but got more than she bargained for ... suffering insane burns to two very sensitive areas of her body ... at least according to a new lawsuit.

Amy Romero is suing New You Laser claiming her laser hair removal appointment in February 2023 was a complete and utter disaster, resulting in burns to her underarms and vagina.

In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Romero claims as soon as the procedure started she immediately felt a burning sensation she had never felt before ... and she complained to the technician about the pain.

Convicted child killer Susan Smith should not be paroled, because her bad behavior in prison included performing sex acts and doing drugs ... so says the former correctional officer with whom she hooked up.

Alfred Rowe, the disgraced prison guard previously employed at Camille Graham Correctional Center in South Carolina, tells TMZ ... Susan is not ready to be released.

Smith becomes eligible for parole in early November for murdering her two children, Michael and Alexander, according to a South Carolina corrections official.

The judge overseeing Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck's messy and complicated divorce has a family connection to both celebs, plus one of J Lo's famous exes ... but he's shrugging off concerns of a possible conflict of interest.

It's really incredible -- and just goes to illustrate Hollywood's tangled web -- but the judge assigned to Bennifer's divorce, Bradley S. Phillips, has a son-in-law who freaking works as an agent for not only Ben, but also Alex Rodriguez!!!

In new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Judge Phillips discloses his son-in-law is Strand Conover ... a partner and agent at WME, the talent agency that reps both Ben and A-Rod.

A new "Baywatch" documentary is making waves ... mainly because OG cast member Pamela Anderson doesn't make a new cameo in the doc.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... while the doc, which will stream on Hulu, promises a never-before-seen interview with the iconic "Baywatch" babe, Pamela did NOT actually recently sit for an interview with the filmmakers ... despite an offer to participate in the 4-part doc.

That makes her the only original cast member to skip the opportunity to take a trip down memory lane.