Case Overview

In Aurora, Colorado, a call to 911 reported that a man was walking around the neighborhood wearing a ski mask and looked “sketchy.” Twenty-three-year-old Elijah McClain was walking home from a gas station with a plastic bag of his purchased items. In response to that 911 call, three Aurora police officers responded. One of the officers, Officer Nathan Woodyard exited his vehicle at 10:43 p.m. and commanded Mr. McClain to stop walking and frisked him within nine seconds of approaching him. By 10:45 p.m., Officers Jason Rosenblatt and Randy Roedema joined the scene. Bodycam footage shows the officers repeatedly telling Mr. McClain to “stop tensing up” and Mr. McClain informing them that he is an introvert. As all three officers wrestled Mr. McClain to the ground, their body cameras fell off. One of the officers requested further assistance right before Mr. McClain was placed in a carotid chokehold. He apologized, and told the officers, “I have no gun.” He vomited at 10:49 p.m. After several threats and continued restraint by officers, including handcuffing Mr. McClain on the ground, threatening to sic the police dog on him, and leaning on Mr. McCain while he is continuing to vomit, a fire medic administered 500mg of ketamine to Mr. McClain. At 11:07 p.m. the officers were informed that Mr. McClain did not have a pulse. Mr. McClain suffered a cardiac arrest, but was resuscitated and taken to the hospital where he was declared brain dead three days later and removed from life support on August 30, 2019.