A former Colorado police officer convicted of killing Black pedestrian Elijah McClain is set to face a judge on Friday afternoon to learn if he’s going to prison.
It’s been nearly three months since an Adams County jury found Randy Roedema guilty of criminally negligent homicide and third-degree assault, stemming from the deadly Aug. 24, 2019, encounter in Aurora.
That panel had considered a more serious charge of reckless manslaughter against Roedema before opting for the lesser felony, which could still land him in prison for up to six years. The former officer could also walk free on probation.
He’s scheduled to appear before Adams County District Judge Mark Warner at about 1:30 p.m. MST.
McClain, 23, was walking home in the Denver suburb over four years ago when police stopped him for wearing a ski mask and allegedly looking suspicious.
When police told McClain to stop, he said he was an introvert and asked them to “please respect the boundaries that I am speaking,” bodycam video of the confrontation showed.
McClain was eventually wrestled to the ground, handcuffed and injected with the sedative ketamine by responding paramedics. He died at the hospital on Aug. 30 from “ketamine toxicity,” an autopsy found.
The 5-foot-7, 140-pound McClain was given an amount of ketamine appropriate for a 190-pound man, according to an independent probe commissioned by the city of Aurora.
Roedema was among five first responders to stand trial for McClain’s death.
Paramedics Peter Cichuniec and Jeremy Cooper were found guilty of criminally negligent homicide on Dec. 22.
Aurora Police Officer Nathan Woodyard was acquitted Nov. 6 on charges of reckless manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide. He had been suspended after being indicted, but has since returned to work.
The jury that convicted Roedema found Aurora Officer Jason Rosenblatt not guilty of reckless manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and assault. Rosenblatt was fired after it emerged that he had texted “ha ha” to fellow officers who had texted him a picture of a memorial honoring McClain.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
