Jury selection began Monday in the trial of two paramedics who were charged in the 2019 death of Elijah McClain.
Suggested Reading
The paramedics, Jeremy Cooper and Lt. Peter Cichuniec of the Aurora Fire Department, will stand trial on charges of negligent homicide, manslaughter, and numerous counts of assault. Cooper and Cichuniec have pleaded not guilty.
McClain, a 23-year-old Black man who worked as a massage therapist, died due to “complications of ketamine administration following forcible restraint” after he was stopped by police in Aurora, Colo.
On Aug. 24, 2019, McClain was walking home from a convenience store when police stopped him. He was unarmed and not accused of committing a crime, but an officer still rendered him unconscious by using a neck hold.
Officers called the paramedics as they continued to restrain him on the ground. When they arrived, paramedics injected McClain with ketamine.
At two previous criminal trials earlier this year, defense attorneys for the involved officers stated McClain’s death was a result of the ketamine injection and not being physically restrained.
One of the officers indicted in McClain’s death was convicted last month of lesser charges: third-degree assault and homicide. The two other officers were acquitted by jurors following trials that lasted for weeks.
At first, no one was charged in McClain’s death because the coroner’s office had trouble determining how the victim died. However, in 2021, protests over the 2020 murder of George Floyd gave extra attention to McClain’s case, leading to an indictment against the paramedics and three law enforcement officers.
The amended report found McClain died because the ketamine that was administered to him was excessive. In 2021, the city of Aurora agreed to pay $15 million to settle a lawsuit that McClain’s parents filed.
Straight From 
Sign up for our free daily newsletter.