A Colorado paramedic was sentenced to four years of probation Friday for his role in the killing of Elijah McClain, bringing a close to the yearslong effort to prosecute those involved in the Black pedestrian’s death.
Jeremy Cooper, a onetime Aurora Fire Rescue paramedic, had faced up to three years in prison following his conviction on Dec. 22 for criminally negligent homicide.
Friday’s sentencing was the final trial court action against first responders who were accused of playing a role in 23-year-old McClain’s death.
- Paramedic Peter Cichuniec, who was also found guilty of criminally negligent homicide, was sentenced to five years in prison on March 1.
- Police officer Randy Roedema was found guilty of criminally negligent homicide and sentenced to 14 months behind bars on Jan. 5.
- During the same trial of Roedema, police officer Jason Rosenblatt was acquitted on charges of reckless manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and second-degree assault. Rosenblatt later resigned from the department after he appeared in a photograph that appeared to be mocking a memorial for McClain.
- Police officer Nathan Woodyard was found not guilty last year of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide charges. Woodyard resigned from the department on Jan. 12 after reaching a back pay settlement.
McClain was walking home on Aug. 24, 2019, when police in the Denver suburb stopped him.
McClain was put in a chokehold and paramedics administered 500 milligrams of ketamine to sedate him before he went into cardiac arrest on his way to the hospital.
He was taken off life support on Aug. 30.
Local prosecutors initially declined to charge first responders. Gov. Jared Polis assigned a special prosecutor in June 2020, in the midst of national civil rights protests following the police slaying of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Then on Sept. 1, 2021, two years after McClain died, state prosecutors announced that a grand jury had returned indictments against three police officers and two paramedics.
This is a developing story. Please check back here for updates.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
