Colorado paramedics convicted in death of Elijah McClain

Two paramedics in Aurora, Colorado, were convicted of criminally negligent homicide for injecting 23-year-old Elijah McClain with ketamine, a powerful sedative, while he was being subdued by police in 2019.

The convictions of fire department paramedics Peter Cichuniec and Jeremy Cooper are considered unprecedented in the U.S. and have raised questions about the use of ketamine by first responders to tranquilize people against their will during police interventions. One of the paramedics was also found guilty of second-degree assault for administering the sedative.

McClain was unarmed and wearing a ski mask when he was walking home from a convenience store with iced tea in August of 2019 when police attempted to restrain him while responding to a call from someone who “looked sketchy.”  

Officers put McClain in a carotid chokehold, and the arriving paramedics injected him with ketamine while he was handcuffed.  McClain went into cardiac arrest in the ambulance and died days later.

“While I appreciate the jury’s diligence, integrity and public service to ensure a fair trial, I am discouraged that these paramedics have received felony punishment for following their training and protocols in place at the time and for making discretionary decisions while taking split-second action in a dynamic environment,” Aurora Fire Rescue Chief Alec Oughton said.

“When Elijah McClain pleaded, ‘please help me,’ they left him there. They overdosed him on ketamine, they left him there again and it killed him. And that’s why they’re guilty.” Senior Assistant Attorney General Jason Slothouber said.

One of the police officers involved was found guilty of criminally negligent homicide and assault by a jury in October 2023. The two other officers involved were acquitted of all charges.

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