Court reverses homicide convictions for former paramedics linked to Elijah McClain’s death

The convictions of two paramedics involved in the killing of Elijah McClain were overturned Thursday by a Colorado court.

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McClain, a 23-year-old Black man, died on Aug. 27, 2019 in Aurora, Colorado, six days after he was forcibly detained by police and injected with a fatal dose of ketamine by emergency medical services.

McClain’s cause of death was ruled “undetermined” with contributing factors including “intense physical exertion and a narrow left coronary artery.”

A Colorado jury in 2023 found paramedics Jeremy Cooper and Peter Cichuniec guilty of criminally negligent homicide. Police officer Randy Roedema was convincted of criminally negligent homicide while two other officers — Jason ⁠Rosenblatt and Nathan Woodyard — were ​found not guilty on charges related to manslaughter ​and assault.

McClain was arrested while he was walking home after buying iced tea from a local store. Officers said they were responding to a report of a suspicious person in a ski mask who was waving his arms. McClain’s family members said that he frequently wore masks because of a health condition that made him feel cold.