image source, CBS / Mari Newman
Elijah McClain dies after police put him in a chokehold and medics injected him with ketamine
The paramedic who fatally injected Elijah McClain with a sedative after he was strangled by police has been sentenced to five years in prison.
Paramedics Peter Cichniec and Jeremy Cooper were found guilty of criminally negligent homicide in December.
Peter Cichniec was sentenced Friday, and Cooper will learn his punishment at a hearing in April.
The 2019 murder of a 23-year-old black man initially received little public attention.
But a year later, it faced new scrutiny after the death of George Floyd in Minnesota sparked nationwide racial justice protests against police brutality.
Mr. Ciczniec, 51, was also found guilty of second-degree assault for his decision to inject Mr. McClain with ketamine, a powerful sedative.
McClain, a massage therapist, was on her way home from a convenience store when she was stopped by three police officers from the Denver suburb of Aurora who had responded to a report of a “suspicious” person in the area.
image source, Denver Post (via Getty Images)
Jeremy Cooper and Peter Cicuniec (left) were sentenced in December.
During the ensuing confrontation he was placed in a chokehold. Body camera footage of the incident showed him repeatedly telling officers, “I can’t breathe.”
Prosecutors said paramedics did not perform a basic medical examination before injecting McClain with the maximum dose of ketamine. He never regained consciousness and died three days later after his life support was removed.
They also left him lying on the ground making it difficult to breathe and did not monitor his condition.
“There have been so many tragedies in my career, and some people would like to say it’s okay, but I can’t,” she tearfully told the judge.
“We are not God. I am not God. And we cannot always have a positive outcome. We cannot save everyone… Like others, Elijah is always in my heart.” It’s inside,” he continued, according to CPR.
Two officers involved in the case, Nathan Woodyard and Jason Rosenblatt, were acquitted in November and October, respectively.
The third officer, Randy Roedema, was found guilty in October of manslaughter and third-degree assault. Prosecutors in the case argued that McClain’s comments that he was “definitely on to something” contributed to the decision by paramedics to inject him with ketamine.
Roedema was sentenced in January to 14 months in prison.
In 2021, the city of Aurora agreed to pay $15 million (£12 million) to settle a lawsuit brought by McClain’s parents.
