Colorado police officers, paramedics charged in 2019 death of Elijah McClain

A Colorado grand jury on Wednesday handed down criminal charges against three police officers and two paramedics in the 2019 death of Elijah McClain, the young male stopped by police when walking home, then put in a chokehold and injected with a powerful anesthetic, according to the attorney general.

Attorney General Phil Weiser, the special prosecutor in the case, announced the 32-count indictment, according to The New York Times.

He also said the charges are the result of months of investigation, protests, and calls for justice for McClain, a black male who was 23 at the time of his death.

The police officers and paramedics involved will each face one charge of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide and assault charges, The Times also reports. 

McClain’s death touched off demands for policing reforms. He was walking home from a convenience store when stopped by the Aurora, Colorado, police officers responding to a 911 call about a suspicious person. 

The officers put McClain in a type of chokehold that restricts blood to the brain. Responding paramedics injected him  with ketamine, an anesthetic commonly used during surgical procedures in animals and humans. McClain was taken unconscious to the hospital, never recovered and was taken off life support and died on Aug. 30, 2019, also according to The Times.