Colorado officer found guilty in Elijah McClain death

Colorado officer found guilty in Elijah McClain death
Colorado officer found guilty in Elijah McClain death

We show you our most important and recent visitors news details Colorado officer found guilty in Elijah McClain death in the following article

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - TORONTO — A Colorado officer has been found guilty in the death of Elijah McClain, who was pinned down before a medic injected him with ketamine and he died.

A jury unanimously convicted officer Randy Roedema of criminally negligent homicide and third-degree assault.

Another officer, Jason Rosenblatt, facing the same charges was acquitted.

Both men were accused of using excessive force and ignoring the unarmed black man's repeated cries of "I can't breathe".

Under Colorado law, Roedema now faces possible prison time and a fine.

He was suspended without pay from the Aurora Police Department, while Rosenblatt was fired in 2020.

The 12-person jury reached a verdict on Thursday after deliberating for 16 hours in over two days. The trial is the first of three in relation to McClain's death.

On 24 August 2019, McClain, a 23-year-old autistic massage therapist, was walking home from a corner shop when three white police officers confronted him after an emergency caller reported a "sketchy" person in the Denver suburb of Aurora.

He was wearing a balaclava, which his family has said protected him from chronic chills due to his anaemia.

Listening to music on his headphones, he had initially ignored officers' calls for him to stop walking.

Body camera footage of the incident showed him pleading with officers that he did nothing wrong, before they wrestled him to the ground and placed him in a chokehold.

Seven times, McClain was heard telling the officers: "I can't breathe" — the same refrain uttered by George Floyd as he was murdered by a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 2020.

After officers called for assistance, a medic injected McClain with ketamine to sedate him.

McClain went limp, stopped breathing and never regained consciousness. He was declared brain-dead three days later.

A key focus of the two officers' weekslong trial was how McClain died.

In their closing arguments, prosecutors said Roedema and Rosenblatt "chose force at every opportunity" instead of de-escalating the situation, counter to their training.

Meanwhile, lawyers for the officers argued they had no choice but to forcefully subdue him after he resisted them.

They also argued that it was the ketamine that killed McClain, and that the paramedics were responsible for his death.

An autopsy report in September 2022 concluded that he had died from "complications of ketamine administration following forcible restraint".

In a statement on social media after Thursday's verdict, Aurora Police Department Chief Art Acevedo said: "We respect the verdict handed by the jury."

McClain was declared dead on 27 August 2019, but his death faced renewed scrutiny after Floyd's murder.

Several others have also been charged with his death, including a third officer, Nathan Woodyard, and medics Jeremy Cooper and Peter Cichuniec.

All three have pleaded not guilty. They will be tried in two separate cases later this year.

Roedema is scheduled to be sentenced in January. — BBC


These were the details of the news Colorado officer found guilty in Elijah McClain death for this day. We hope that we have succeeded by giving you the full details and information. To follow all our news, you can subscribe to the alerts system or to one of our different systems to provide you with all that is new.

It is also worth noting that the original news has been published and is available at Saudi Gazette and the editorial team at AlKhaleej Today has confirmed it and it has been modified, and it may have been completely transferred or quoted from it and you can read and follow this news from its main source.

PREV Russia says it foils Ukrainian plots to kill senior officers with disguised bombs
NEXT Using clues from online sexual assault video, Thai cops rescue 10-year-old victim from month-long captivity on boat

Author Information

I am Joshua Kelly and I focus on breaking news stories and ensuring we (“Al-KhaleejToday.NET”) offer timely reporting on some of the most recent stories released through market wires about “Services” sector. I have formerly spent over 3 years as a trader in U.S. Stock Market and is now semi-stepped down. I work on a full time basis for Al-KhaleejToday.NET specializing in quicker moving active shares with a short term view on investment opportunities and trends. Address: 838 Emily Drive Hampton, SC 29924, USA Phone: (+1) 803-887-5567 Email: [email protected]