Elijah McClain’s death: Two paramedics convicted in US of criminally negligent homicide
Jeremy Cooper and Peter Cichuniec, two paramedics, were convicted on Friday of criminally negligent homicide in the case of Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old Black man who died after being subdued by police and injected with ketamine in Aurora, Colorado, in August 2019.
Despite pleading not guilty to the felony charges, Cichuniec was also found guilty of second-degree unlawful administration of drugs assault, while being acquitted of second-degree assault resulting in bodily injury. Cichuniec was quickly taken into custody, whereas Cooper was cleared of those specific charges.
The prosecution contended that the paramedics displayed recklessness by administering a significant dose of the potent sedative ketamine to McClain, who had been forcefully restrained by the police, without engaging in conversation with him or assessing his vital signs.
In an updated autopsy report from 2022, McClain's cause of death was attributed to «complications of ketamine administration following forcible restraint.»
Nevertheless, during their trial, the paramedics stated that they adhered to their training for managing patients with «excited delirium,» a contentious diagnosis often assigned to individuals undergoing extreme agitation, typically in encounters with law enforcement.
Controversy surrounds the administration of ketamine by emergency responders to tranquilize individuals without consent, leading to investigations across several states.
The incident involving the subduing of McClain also resulted in trials for three Aurora police officers. Officer Randy Roedema was convicted of criminally negligent homicide and assault, leading to his dismissal. However, officers
