Current:Home > MarketsParamedic sentenced to probation in 2019 death of Elijah McClain after rare conviction -StockSource
Paramedic sentenced to probation in 2019 death of Elijah McClain after rare conviction
View
Date:2025-04-20 21:27:21
A Colorado judge sentenced paramedic Jeremy Cooper to probation and work release Friday, closing out the last of three trials around the 2019 death of unarmed Black man Elijah McClain.
Jeremy Cooper was sentenced to 14 months in a work-release program and four years of probation after he was found guilty of criminal negligent homicide in December. Cooper faced up to three years in prison.
McClain's death gained renewed attention amid racial justice protests following the murder of George Floyd in 2020 and five police officers and paramedics were subsequently indicted by a Colorado grand jury on manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and other charges. Three were found guilty and have been sentenced.
Aurora police officer Randy Roedema was sentenced to 14 months in jail in January after being convicted of criminally negligent homicide and third-degree assault, and fellow paramedic Peter Cichuniec was sentenced to five years in prison in March for criminally negligent homicide and second-degree assault.
It is rare for police officers to be charged or convicted in on-duty killings, and experts previously told USA TODAY it is even rarer for paramedics to be criminally prosecuted in such cases.
What happened to Elijah McClain?
McClain, a massage therapist, was walking home from the store on Aug. 24, 2019, when he was stopped by police after a 911 caller reported a man who seemed “sketchy.” McClain was not armed or accused of committing a crime. But officers quickly threw him to the ground and placed him in a since-banned carotid artery chokehold. Paramedics later arrived and injected him with ketamine, a powerful sedative. He died days later.
An original autopsy report written soon after his death did not list a conclusion about how he died or the type of death. But an amended autopsy report released last year determined McClain died because of "complications of ketamine administration following forcible restraint." The amended report still lists his manner of death as "undetermined."
A local prosecutor initially declined to bring criminal charges over McClain's death partly because of the inconclusive initial autopsy report. But as the case received more attention after Floyd was killed by former Minneapolis police officers, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser launched a grand jury investigation.
Contributing: Reuters; N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY
veryGood! (8)
Related
- The Super Bowl could end in a 'three
- JetBlue’s CEO is stepping down, and he’ll be replaced by the first woman to lead a big US airline
- As more debris surfaces from Alaska Airlines' forced landing, an intact iPhone has been found
- Watch Brie Larson's squad embrace the strange in exclusive 'The Marvels' deleted scene
- From family road trips to travel woes: Americans are navigating skyrocketing holiday costs
- Captain Jason Chambers’ Boating Essentials Include an Eye-Opening Update on a Below Deck Storyline
- Trump asks Maine judge for pause to let US Supreme Court rule on ballot access
- Family receives letter that was originally sent to relatives in 1943
- Charges tied to China weigh on GM in Q4, but profit and revenue top expectations
- Classes resume at Michigan State building where 2 students were killed
Ranking
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- “Shocked” Jonathan Majors Addresses Assault Case in First TV Interview Since Trial
- Montana governor, first lady buy mansion for $4M for governor’s residence, will donate it to state
- Haley accuses Biden of giving ‘offensive’ speech at the church where racist mass shooting occurred
- Military service academies see drop in reported sexual assaults after alarming surge
- Arizona Governor Vows to Update State’s Water Laws
- Alaska Airlines and United cancel hundreds of flights following mid-air door blowout
- In Israel, Blinken looks to planning for post-war Gaza as bombardment, fighting continue to rage
Recommendation
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
21 injured after possible gas explosion at historic Fort Worth, Texas, hotel: 'Very loud and very violent'
Watch Brie Larson's squad embrace the strange in exclusive 'The Marvels' deleted scene
Idris Elba calls for tougher action on knife crime after a spate of teen killings in Britain
In ‘Nickel Boys,’ striving for a new way to see
New Jersey lawmakers to vote on pay raises for themselves, the governor and other officials
Aaron Rodgers says Jets need to avoid distractions, will address his Jimmy Kimmel comments
Golden Globe-nominated Taylor Swift appears to skip Chiefs game with Travis Kelce ruled out