Grand Jury Indicts Police Officers And Paramedics In The Death of Elijah McClain

A Colorado grand jury indicted three police officers and two paramedics involved in the August 2019 death of Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old Black man who was stopped by police while walking home from a store.

During the stop, McClain was placed in a carotid hold and then injected with ketamine, which eventually led to his death.

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser announced the charges on Wednesday.

Aurora Police officers Randy Roedema and Nathan Woodyard, former officer Jason Rosenblatt and Aurora Fire Rescue paramedics Jeremy Cooper and Peter Cichuniec were each indicted on charges of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide as part of a 32-count indictment.

In addition, Roedema and Rosenblatt were each indicted on one count of assault and one count of crime of violence, and Cooper and Cichuniec were each indicted on three counts of assault and six counts of crime of violence.

“We’re here today because Elijah McClain is not here and he should be,” Weiser said. “When he died he was only 23 years old. He had his whole life ahead of him and his family and his friends must now go on and must live without him.

In his news conference Wednesday, Weiser acknowledged the challenge ahead for prosecutors.

“Make no mistake, we recognize that this case will be difficult to prosecute. These types of cases always are,” he said. “Our goal is to seek justice for Elijah McClain, for his family and friends and for our state. In so doing, we advance the rule of law and our commitment that everyone is accountable and equal under the law.”

McClain’s story gained renewed attention last June after the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Following city rules, officers and firefighters indicted on felony charges are immediately and indefinitely suspended without pay, Aurora City Manager Jim Twombly said in a statement.

Aurora Police Chief Vanessa Wilson and Fire Rescue Chief Fernando Gray both offered their condolences to the McClain family and said they will cooperate with the judicial process.

A civil investigation into the APD and AFD patterns and practices of civil rights violations is ongoing, Weiser said.