Paramedic gets 5 years in prison for Elijah McClainโs death in rare case against medical responders
A Colorado paramedic was sentenced Friday to five years in prison for the death of Elijah McClain, a Black man whose name became part of the rallying cries for social justice that swept the U.S. in 2020.
1 of 2 Colorado officers convicted in Elijah McClain's death after neck hold, ketamine injection
Jurors have convicted a Denver-area police officer and acquitted another of charges in the 2019 death of Elijah McClain, a Black man whose name became a rallying cry in protests over racial injustice in policing.
Prosecutors say Elijah McClain was just walking home as jury urged to convict officers in his death
Prosecutors seeking a conviction of two Colorado police officers in the 2019 death of Elijah McClain have implored a jury during closing arguments to remember that he was just trying to walk home on the night of the fatal encounter.
Judge delays first criminal trial in Elijah McClain's death over objections of prosecutors
A judge in Colorado has agreed to delay the first criminal trial in the death of Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old Black man who was stopped by police, forcibly restrained and injected with a powerful sedative nearly four years ago.
Colorado officials plead not guilty in Elijah McClain case
A group of police officers and paramedics have pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from the role they are accused of playing in the death of a 23-year-old Black man who was forcibly restrained and injected with a powerful sedative called ketamine.
Protester: San Francisco paramedic sedated her involuntarily
A protester is suing the city of San Francisco claiming that a San Francisco paramedic injected her with a sedative while she was handcuffed after being removed from a Golden State Warriors game for demonstrating in favor of abortion rights.
Elijah McClain's mom says his death sparked push for change
(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)DENVER โ Sheneen McClain is not always hopeful but thinks it's possible the death of her son Elijah McClain could create change. Sheneen McClain said she knew her son was innocent but is glad the world knows it, too. AdShe wants the officers who stopped her son to be charged, convicted and spend the rest of their lives behind bars. One of them, Jason Rosenblatt, was fired last year, but not for stopping Elijah McClain. AdโIf anyone can change the world, it's Elijah, because he has the empathy,โ she said.
City probe faults overall police treatment of Elijah McClain
The investigation commissioned by the city of Aurora found โtwo contrasting storiesโ of what happened to McClain in August 2019 after someone reported him as suspicious. โForgive me ... you all are phenomenal, you are beautiful,โ McClain said at one point, the report said. Young's review of the case did not find sufficient evidence to press criminal charges in McClain's death. They were also asked to review policies and practices relevant to McClainโs arrest, like the use of force and the use of ketamine. Lawyers for mother Sheneen McClain she was grateful the report โlaid bareโ the wrongdoing of city employees.
Cops fired over photos tied to Elijah McClain not reinstated
The Aurora Civil Service Commission issued a decision Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2021, upholding the firings of officers Marrero, Dittrich and Jason Rosenblatt over this and similar photos. Police Chief Vanessa Wilson fired the three officers last year over two photos taken at a memorial to McClain two months after his death. AdDittrich texted the photos to two officers who stopped McClain โ Rosenblatt and Nathan Woodyard โ to try to cheer up Woodyard, authorities said. Besides the neckhold, McClain was injected with the sedative ketamine. Rosenblatt initially tried to put McClain in the neckhold but couldnโt because of his position, so Woodyard did, authorities said.
Colorado officers wonโt be charged for detaining Black girls
(AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)DENVER โ Suburban Denver police officers wonโt be charged after detaining four Black girls by gunpoint this summer and handcuffing two of them after wrongly suspecting they were riding in a stolen car, prosecutors said Friday. Both involved officers from the Aurora Police Department and drew national attention during Americaโs reckoning over racism and police brutality. The prosecutor also said it was difficult for the officers to see who was inside the vehicle partly because of its tinted windows. Meanwhile, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser opened a grand jury investigation into McClain's death as part of his probe of the case that started last summer. In the video, McClain can be heard saying he couldn't breathe and sometimes crying out or sobbing.
Colorado city bans ketamine use amid Elijah McClain probe
Officers put the 23-year-old in a stranglehold and paramedics later injected him with 500 milligrams of ketamine โ 1.5 times the correct dose for his weight, according to medical standards. The city council members' decision came after concerns from several groups about the growing use of ketamine by first responders when police believe suspects are out of control. McClain was injected with ketamine after first responders said he suffered โexcited delirium.โBut the Colorado Society of Anesthesiologists warned last week against the use strong sedatives for agitation and questioned whether excited delirium exists. The widely contested medical term has varying definitions but is often associated with substance abuse and mental illness. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Houston rapper Tobe Nwigwe to stream global concert, The Pandemic Experience
Alief native Tobe Nwigwe is bringing fans into The Pandemic Experience. The global broadcast will feature a live performance from Tobe Nwigwe, Ivory Rogers, known as Fat, and producer LaNell Grant. Earlier this summer, Nwigwe dropped the new six-song project, The Pandemic Project. The songs, Try Jesus and Make It Home, carry powerful messages about the complexities of being Black, Christian and American. In I NEED YOU TO (BREONNA TAYLOR), Nwigwe demands Kentucky officials arrests the killers of Breonna Taylor. In it, the rapper reflected the sentiment of the national movement seeking justice for the 26-year-old EMT who was killed by plainclothed officers in March. All of yall who think we need more evidence is goofy, Nwigwe raps in the song.
Prosecutors investigating police who handcuffed Black girls
(AP) Prosecutors are investigating whether suburban Denver police officers should face criminal charges for putting four Black girls on the ground and handcuffing two of them after mistakenly suspecting they were riding in a stolen car, a district attorney said Friday. The incident Sunday attracted national attention after a video of the girls some in tears being detained in a parking lot spread on social media. Aurora police apologized after the video taken by a bystander showed the girls, with the 17-year-old and a 12-year-old lying on their stomachs with their hands cuffed behind their backs. Theres no excuse why you didnt handle it a different type of way, Gilliam told KUSA-TV. The Colorado attorney general is investigating after a county prosecutor said last year there wasnt enough evidence to charge the officers.
New chief of embattled Colorado force wants cops to see bias
Vanessa Wilson was named the new chief of the Aurora Police Department this week after serving as its interim leader. It would never have happened, she told The Associated Press, had officers used their common sense to respond to what they observed. The Colorado attorney general is investigating a year after a local prosecutor said there wasnt enough evidence to prosecute the officers. Its one of a handful of investigations into McClains death, including a city review of police policies like use of force. Jared Polis told reporters Tuesday that he hopes Wilson is ready to work to increase transparency within the department and rebuild trust.
Ex-Justice Department lawyer will lead Elijah McClain probe
Jonathan Smith, the executive director of the Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, will lead the three-person panel reviewing policing policies at issue in the death of Elijah McClain, Sentinel Colorado reported Tuesday. Three officers stopped McClain as he walked down an Aurora street on Aug, 23, 2019 after a 911 caller reported him as suspicious. The Justice Department division is responsible for investigations of civil rights violations by law enforcement, juvenile justice and mental health and disability agencies. Last year, the local district attorney said he could not file charges against the officers because a pathologist could not determine whether the officers' actions caused McClain's death. Federal authorities recently revealed they have been researching since last year into whether they should launch a civil rights investigation into McClains death.
A look at a Colorado Black man's death in police encounter
McClain, a 23-year-old Black man in the Denver suburb of Aurora, died in August after police officers confronted him as he was walking to a store. McClain was a massage therapist who planned to go to college, his younger sister, Samara McClain, told The Denver Post. According to a report by District Attorney Dave Young, Aurora officers responding to the report said McClain was uncooperative when they confronted him. Federal authorities also said they were considering an investigation into photos of Aurora police released last week. WHAT IS THE CONTROVERSY SURROUNDING THE PHOTOS TAKEN AT MCCLAIN'S MEMORIAL?
Union: Colorado officer fired in Elijah McClain photo probe
FILE - In this June 27, 2020, file photo, demonstrators carry a giant placard during a rally and march over the death of 23-year-old Elijah McClain outside the police department in Aurora, Colo. The interim police chief of the city of Aurora, Vanessa Wilson, said in a statement that the suspended officers were "depicted in photographs near the site where Elijah McClain died." (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)AURORA, Colo. A suburban Denver officer has been fired amid an internal investigation into photos showing police near where Elijah McClain was put in a chokehold and later died, a police union said Friday. The police union's statement said the fired officer did not participate in taking or distributing the photos. Officers stopped McClain, a massage therapist, after a 911 call on Aug. 24, 2019, reported him as suspicious because he was wearing a ski mask and flailing his arms.
Black Lives Matter: Where to Donate to Victims' Families, Advocacy Groups and More
The fight for Black lives is ongoing. National Bail Fund Network: "The National Bail Fund Network is made up of over sixty community bail and bond funds across the country." Black Lives Matter: "[Our] mission is to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes." Black Visions Collective: "Black Visions Collective envisions a world in which ALL Black Lives Matter. RELATED CONTENT:Here Are Black-Owned Health and Wellness Businesses to SupportJanelle Mone Wants Black Lives Matter Allies to Have 'Tough' ConvosBeyonce Writes an Open Letter Calling for Justice for Breonna Taylor
Police chief defends pepper spray at Elijah McClain vigil
Wilson said in a statement that the suspended officers were "depicted in photographs near the site where Elijah McClain died." Aurora Interim Police Chief Vanessa Wilson said the officers were responding to a small group of agitators among the largely peaceful crowd Saturday. Three white officers stopped McClain as he walked down the street last August after a 911 call reported him as suspicious. The officers who stopped McClain were cleared by prosecutors and returned to the force, but the governor has ordered the state attorney general to reopen the case. A separate internal police investigation is underway into photos of Aurora officers taken near where McClain died.
Officers put on leave over photos tied to Elijah McClain
The interim police chief of the city of Aurora, Vanessa Wilson, said in a statement that the suspended officers were "depicted in photographs near the site where Elijah McClain died." In McClain's case, police body-camera video shows an Aurora officer getting out of his car, approaching McClain and saying, Stop right there. The chief's decision could be appealed by the officers under investigation, which would delay the results being released, he said. The three officers who stopped McClain did not face any criminal charges after an investigation by the district attorney, but Democratic Gov. Who didn't do it the right way were those agitators who were arming themselves, that were putting on helmets and gas masks and throwing rocks at my officers, Wilson told KUSA-TV.
Miley Cyrus, J Balvin, Coldplay, Justin Bieber & More Perform in Global Citizen's 'Unite for Our Future' Event
Miley Cyrus, Shakira, J Balvin, Justin Bieber, Usher and many more took part in Global Citizen's Global Goal: Unite for our Future event on Saturday. Cyrus covered the Beatles' "Help" in an empty Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California. Join our fight against COVID-19 here: https://t.co/AQFKWGWXjE #GlobalGoalUnite pic.twitter.com/LAbCYfRBBk Global Citizen (@GlblCtzn) June 27, 2020J Balvin and The Dreamcatchers sang "Que Calor" and "Mi Gente." The X-Men might be here with us today, but the TRUE superheroes are all the frontline health care workers, scientists, and Global Citizens taking action for a more equitable future. The event raised $6.9 billion in pledges from governments, corporations and philanthropists around the world.
Sherri Shepherd Says Elijah McClain Reminds Her of Her Son in Tearful Video
Sherri Shepherd is hurting after hearing about Elijah McClain's tragic death. Shepherd begins her video by sharing McClain's tragic story and explaining how she has a son who reminds her of the slain boy. "Elijah died because nobody got to know the beauty These cops, you didn't take the time to see what Elijah just said. Shepherd, visibly shaken, continues by saying that Elijah said he was trying to be better, "and he was murdered. "We must get justice for Elijah McClain - please send me the link and I will post."
Colorado reopens inquiry into Elijah McClain's 2019 death
File-In this Nov. 23, 2019, file photo, demonstrators gather for a press conference at the Aurora Municipal Center after the police department released the body camera footage of Elijah McClain, who died after being stopped by three Aurora officers in August 2019. (Philip B. Poston/Sentinel Colorado via AP,File)DENVER Colorado's governor appointed a special prosecutor Thursday to investigate the death of Elijah McClain, 23-year-old Black man who was put into a neck hold by police in suburban Denver last year. Jared Polis signed an executive order directing state Attorney General Phil Weiser to investigate McClain's death and possibly prosecute those involved. McClain's name has become a rallying cry during the national reckoning over racism and police brutality following the deaths of George Floyd and others. Police in suburban Aurora received a call about a suspicious person wearing a ski mask and waving his arms as he walked down a street on Aug. 24.
Houston rapper raises $100,000 for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other families affected by racism and police brutality
HOUSTON Rapper Tobe Nwigwe raised $100,000 to families affected by racism and police brutality. The Alief native said the proceeds came from Stop Killing Black People t-shirts sales. The families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and Elijah McClain each received a $25,000 donation, Tobe Nwigwe announced on Instagram Wednesday. Stop killing black people. Tobe Nwigwe is a first-generation Nigerian-American who spreads inspirational, meaningful messages through his music.