Officers, paramedics charged in Colorado man’s 2019 death
DENVER — Three suburban Denver police officers and two paramedics were indicted on manslaughter and other charges in the death of Elijah McClain, a Black man who was put in a chokehold and injected with a powerful sedative two years ago, Colorado’s attorney general said Wednesday.
The 23-year-old’s death gained attention during last year’s protests against racial injustice and police brutality following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. McClain’s pleading words captured on police body camera video — “I’m just different” — were posted on signs at protests and spoken by celebrities who joined those calling for the prosecution of the officers who stopped McClain as he walked down the street in the city of Aurora after a 911 caller reported that he looked suspicious.
Stories about McClain, a massage therapist described by family and friends as a gentle and kind introvert, filled social media, including how he volunteered to play his violin to comfort cats at an animal shelter.
The Aurora Police Department has been plagued by allegations of misconduct against people of color, including an officer charged this summer with pistol-whipping a Black man. The department’s new chief has vowed to work to rebuild public trust.
Attorney General Phil Weiser said a grand jury indicted Officers Randy Roedema, Nathan Woodyard and Jason Rosenblatt and fire department paramedic Jeremy Cooper and fire Lt. Peter Cichuniec on charges of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide. Roedema and Rosenblatt also each were charged with second-degree assault with intent to cause bodily injury and one count of a crime of violence related to the assault charge. Cooper and Cichuniec also each face three counts of second-degree assault.
The Associated Press has sought comment from lawyers for the defendants. The Aurora Police Association said there was no evidence the officers caused McClain’s death.
“The hysterical overreaction to this case has severely damaged the police department,” the union said in a statement.
At a brief news conference, Weiser said the goal was to seek justice for McClain and his loved ones.
Mother Sheneen McClain “is overwhelmed emotionally by this news and appreciates the hard work of Phil Weiser and the rest of his team. There is not a day that goes by that she does not think of her son Elijah,” according to a statement from her lawyer, Qusair Mohamedbhai.
It’s very rare for officers to face criminal charges in on-duty deaths, and it’s almost unheard of for paramedics to be charged, said Alex Piquero, a criminologist at the University of Miami.
“It’s a pretty big deal,” he said. The fact that a grand jury saw the evidence and decided what charges to file is an indication of a strong case, Piquero said.
Facing pressure during nationwide protests last year, Democratic Gov. Jared Polis ordered Weiser to open a new criminal investigation. In 2019, a district attorney said he could not charge the officers because an autopsy could not determine how McClain died.
It’s one of several investigations, including separate reviews of McClain’s arrest commissioned by the city and a comprehensive review of the Police Department. The U.S. Justice Department and the FBI also announced a civil rights investigation into McClain’s death, while Weiser’s office is conducting a similar probe into the agency, the first under a new Colorado police accountability law. Aurora’s review did not find any evidence to justify officers stopping McClain.
A pathologist who conducted an autopsy said a combination of a narrowed coronary artery and physical exertion contributed to McClain’s death. Dr. Stephen Cina found no evidence of a ketamine overdose and said several other possibilities could not be ruled out, including an unexpected reaction to ketamine or the chokehold causing an irregular heartbeat.