Two Denver paramedics have been convicted in the 2019 death of Elijah McClain. The paramedics injected McClain with a fatal dose of the sedative ketamine after police subjected him to a neck hold.
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After weeks of trial proceedings, the jury found Aurora Fire Rescue paramedics Jeremy Cooper and Peter Cichuniec guilty of criminally negligent homicide. Cichuniec was also found guilty of second-degree assault. The paramedics now face the possibility of years in prison when they are sentenced. The verdict was reached after two days of deliberation, during which the jury expressed difficulty in reaching a decision on one of the charges as reported by The Huffington Post.
The incident occurred on August 24, 2019, when police stopped Elijah McClain as he was walking home from a convenience store following a suspicious person complaint. After an officer claimed that McClain had reached for his gun (a claim disputed by prosecutors), another officer placed him in a neck hold, rendering him temporarily unconscious. While McClain was restrained, Cooper administered an overdose of ketamine. Cichuniec, the senior officer at the scene, stated that the decision to use ketamine was his.
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Prosecutors argued that the paramedics failed to conduct basic medical checks on McClain, such as taking his pulse, before administering the ketamine. Experts testified that the dosage was excessive for someone of McClain’s size, weighing 140 pounds (64 kilograms). Additionally, prosecutors contended that the paramedics did not monitor McClain immediately after administering the sedative, leaving him lying on the ground, which compromised his ability to breathe.
Elijah McClain’s final words, captured on police body camera footage, resonated with protesters and people across the country. His plea, “I’m an introvert and I’m different,” struck a chord and brought attention to the case. McClain’s mother, Sheneen, released a statement prior to the verdict, expressing her belief that all those present during her son’s encounter with the police displayed a lack of humanity. She held them accountable for their actions and expressed her hope for justice to be served.
“They can not blame their job training for their indifference to evil or their participation in an evil action. That is completely on them. May all of their souls rot in hell when their time comes.”
The defense attorneys contended that the paramedics followed their training by administering ketamine to McClain after diagnosing him with “excited delirium.” However, this condition is disputed by some experts who consider it unscientific and argue that it has been used to justify excessive use of force.
