A judge found a Colorado officer guilty of criminally negligent homicide and third-degree assault over the death of Elijah McClain.
The victim was a young Black man pinned down by law enforcement personnel before a medic injected him with ketamine. A jury unanimously convicted the police officer, identified as Randy Roedema, in the case.
Elijah McClain's Death
Another police officer, Jason Rosenblatt, is facing the same charges as Roedema but was acquitted. Prosecutors accused both law enforcement personnel of using excessive force during a stop of an unarmed Black man in 2019.
Under Colorado law, Roedema could now face potential imprisonment and a fine over the death of McClain. The officer was initially suspended without pay from the Aurora Police Department, while Rosenblatt was removed from the force in 2020.
The 23-year-old victim, McClain, was an autistic massage therapist walking home from a corner shop before encountering police officers. Three white police officers confronted the man after an emergency caller reported a "sketchy" person in the Denver suburb of Aurora, as per BBC.
The Black man was wearing a balaclava, which his family said protected him from chronic chills caused by his anemia. McClain initially ignored officers' calls to stop walking because he was listening to music on his headphones.
Body camera footage of the incident then showed him pleading with officers that he did nothing wrong before wrestling him to the ground and placing him in a chokehold. After the law enforcement personnel called for assistance, a medic injected McClain with ketamine to sedate him.
However, the Black man went limp, stopped breathing, and never regained consciousness. He was declared brain-dead three days after the incident. Lawyers representing the officers argued that they had no choice but to forcefully subdue the victim after resisting them.
According to CNN, an attorney for Roedema, Reid Elkus, comforted the officer's wife following the verdict against his client, saying there is still a chance that he will not go to jail as the sentencing was scheduled for Jan. 5.
Jury's Split Verdict
Following the verdicts against the officers, the Aurora Police Department's chief, Art Acevedo, released a statement saying that, as a nation, we must be committed to the rule of law. He added that, as such, they hold the American judicial process in high regard.
The police chief said that they respected the verdict handed down by the jury in the case and expressed gratitude to the jury members for their thoughtful deliberation and service. He noted that the Aurora Police Department is precluded from further comment because of additional pending trials.
After the verdict was read, McClain's mother, Sheneen McClain, said, "That's what happens in divided States of America." She was visibly upset as she walked to the parking lot to her car.
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said they were there because McClain's life mattered. He said that the Black man was only 23 years old when he lost his life and still had his entire life ahead of him, said CBS News.
