As of Wednesday (Sept. 1), a grand jury indicted three police officers and two paramedics for the death of Elijah McClain. In Aurora, Colorado, in 2019, a Black 23-year-old was found dead in a jail cell after an eight-month investigation by a grand jury.
Among other charges, all five defendants face one count each of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide, said Attorney General Phil Weiser who announced the grand jury’s 32-count indictment. It was proposed that officers Randy Roedema, Nathan Woodyard, and ex-officer Jason Rosenblatt were involved in a second-degree injurious assault. The charges were also listed as a crime of violence.
They are accused of second-grade assaults involving physical injuries, of second-grade assaults for significant bodily injury, and of second-grade assaults for purposes other than medical treatment. Additionally, each of the paramedics’ assault allegations is accompanied by two acts of violence.
LaWayne Mosley, McClain’s father, broke down in tears upon learning of the indictment, as reported by NBC News.
Despite not being able to bring his son back, he stated that he was thankful his killers are finally being held accountable.
Approximately two years have passed since McClain’s death, which culminated after he was detained and choked by Aurora police. Officers encountered McClain while responding to a tip about a suspect in the area on 24 Aug. 2019. They said that they had “countered” contact with McClain. A body camera video shows the 140 pound massage expert telling the cops that he asked them to respect the limits.
A police officer claimed McClain grabbed him as he reached for a holstered firearm. The police report details a struggle that resulted in a carotid control hold, which limits the flow of blood to the brain. McClain was given a dose of ketamine by paramedics when they arrived, which an investigation panel said would have been sufficient to sedate a 190 pound person.
McClain went into cardiac arrest seven minutes after receiving the drug and was without a pulse for the rest of the day. Despite attempts to revive him, he was pronounced brain dead at a hospital less than a week later and removed from life support.
Both Woodward and Roedema remain employed by the department despite being placed on desk duty following the incident. Rosenblatt, however, was removed from his position last month after posing for photos mocking McClain’s death. In addition, a fourth officer resigned from the department.
An independent investigation in February found that McClain’s detention and drugging did not have a legal basis since the officers and paramedics did not conduct a physical examination of him.
© 2021, Jonathan P-Wright. All rights reserved.
