Killing of Elijah McClain

Lore & Background

On August 24, 2019, three Aurora Police officers—Nathan Woodyard, Jason Rosenblatt, and Randy Roedema—responded to a call about a person wearing a ski mask who looked 'sketchy'. The caller stated the person was unarmed and not an immediate danger. McClain was walking home from a convenience store, wearing a ski mask due to a blood circulation disorder. Friends speculated his arm-flailing was dancing to music. Officers confronted McClain, and according to the police report, he resisted. All three officers said their body cameras were knocked off during a struggle. McClain was forcibly held to the ground, handcuffed, and Woodyard twice applied a choke hold. McClain was in distress, sobbing, saying 'I can't breathe', and vomiting. Paramedics Jeremy Cooper and Peter Cichuniec arrived and administered 500 mg of ketamine, later determined to be in excess of a therapeutic dosage for his weight. McClain went into cardiac arrest on scene, was declared brain dead three days later, and removed from life support on August 30.

Reader's Guide

The killing of Elijah McClain gained national attention after massive protests in Denver and Aurora in June 2020, and after photos emerged of officers posing at the site where McClain was killed. An investigative report ordered by the City Council in February 2021 found that the police officers lacked legal basis to stop, restrain, or frisk McClain, criticized the medical responders' decision to inject ketamine, and admonished the police department for failing to properly question the officers. In September 2021, the three officers and two paramedics were charged with manslaughter and other charges. Trials resulted in mixed outcomes: Officer Nathan Woodyard was found not guilty; Jason Rosenblatt was acquitted; Randy Roedema was convicted of criminally negligent homicide and assault and sentenced to 14 months in jail. Paramedics Jeremy Cooper and Peter Cichuniec were convicted of negligent homicide, with Cichuniec initially sentenced to five years in prison, later reduced to four years probation, and Cooper sentenced to four years probation. Both paramedics' homicide convictions were overturned on June 4, 2026 by Colorado appeals courts. The case highlighted issues of police restraint, ketamine use by paramedics, and accountability for law enforcement and medical personnel.

Did You Know?

• Elijah McClain was a massage therapist who had never been arrested or charged with a crime.
• He taught himself to play violin and guitar and played at animal shelters to soothe abandoned animals.
• The initial autopsy was inconclusive; an amended report in September 2022 listed cause of death as 'complications of ketamine administration following forcible restraint'.
• Officers posed for photos at the site of McClain's death in October 2019, leading to one resignation and three firings.