ELIJAH MCCLAIN.

Elijah McClain was a 23 year old massage therapist, he lived in Aurora, Colorado. On the 24th August 2019 Elijah was walking home from the shop when he was approached by police officers, Nathan Woodyard, Jason Rosenblatt and Randy Roedema.

The Police department received a call just after 10:30 pm,  from a resident reporting a “suspicious person” in a ski mask, flailing his arms. Elijah would wear a mask when out because he had anemia and would sometimes get cold.

The Officers tried to arrest Elijah, even though he had not committed a crime and was not armed. They state that Elijah resisted arrest. He was held to the floor and one officer put him in the ‘carotid hold’ which involves applying pressure the the side of the neck to temporarily cut off the blood flow to the brain.

First Responders were called to the scene and they injected Elijah with Ketamine to sedate him. 

On the way to the hospital Elijah went into Cardiac arrest.

Elijah was declared brain dead and died in hospital several days later after being taken off his life support.

Elijahs autopsy was ‘inconclusive’ and the coroner could not determine an exact cause of death, although he did say that it could of been an accident resulting in a drug reaction from the Ketamine. He also stated that it could of been homicide if the officers use of the carotid hold contributed to his death, it could of also been from an asthma attack.

One officer accused Elijah of reaching for an officers gun, although there was no evidence of this.
The body cams also ‘fell off during them restraining Elijah’ but on one of the videos you see one of the cameras being picked up and then an officer saying “don’t pick it up ” and it is dropped back into grass.

On 28th August all three officers were put on paid administrative leave.

No charges were filed against them.