A former Colorado paramedic has been sentenced to five years in prison for the 2019 murder of Elijah McClain, who was stopped by Aurora police.
Peter Ciczniec was one of two paramedics found guilty of manslaughter for their role in the 23-year-old’s death, which sparked years of protests. change within the law. The jury also found Cicuniec guilty of second-degree assault. This result marks an extremely rare case in which an emergency medical technician is held criminally responsible for a death in police custody and sentenced to prison.
Cicuniec was serving a five- to 16-year sentence for assault. On Friday, a judge also sentenced him to one year in prison for murder.
Colorado prosecutors indicted Citiniec, paramedic Jeremy Cooper and three police officers in a case that dragged on for years. Mr. Sichniec and Mr. Cooper are responsible for injecting Mr. McClain with dangerous amounts of ketamine, a powerful sedative, as officers subdued him.
“Should there have been a better medical evaluation of Elijah McClain before administering ketamine? The answer is simply yes,” Judge Mark Warner said before handing down the sentence. He further added: [Cichuniec] It is a continuing risk to the public. ”
On August 24, 2019, McClain, a massage therapist, was on her way home from the store while listening to music on her headphones when a passing driver called 911 to report a “creepy” person who “couldn’t tell if he was good or bad.” The caller said he didn’t see a weapon but didn’t think anyone was in danger.
Officer Nathan Woodyard, who first stopped McClain, immediately became aggressive and grabbed him, calling him a “suspicious person.” Two other officers, Randy Rodema and Jason Rosenblatt, quickly arrived and tackled McClain to the ground, holding him by the neck and putting their weight on him, causing him to fall in and out of consciousness.
McClain is an animal lover. I learned to play the violin by myself., apologized and repeatedly said, “I can’t breathe,” and also said, “I’m an introvert…why are you attacking me?” It doesn’t kill flies either. ”
Prosecutors said Cicuniec ordered ketamine from an ambulance and Cooper injected McClain with 500 mg, but given McClain’s weight, 325 mg was the appropriate dose.
McClain showed signs of overdosing after administering the drug and never woke up.
An investigation into the incident, solicited by the Aurora City Council, found that McClain had not committed a crime and that police had no legal basis to stop him or use force against him.
Sheneen McClain, who attended three lengthy trials, told the court Friday that the paramedics were “accomplices in my son’s murder” and that they should have cared for him as a patient and tried to help him.
“They want to blame their inhumane behavior on their inhumane training, but the reality is they could have done something just by saying, ‘Please stop hurting my patients.’ Instead, they chose to make my son’s situation even worse, and I believe they had a hand in it… They don’t feel the need to stop the atrocities that are happening to my son, who is begging for his life. It was. ”
She said she watched the body camera footage repeatedly trying to understand why paramedics “didn’t save him.” She said: “When Elijah was held down and injected with ketamine, he remained unconscious for a long time and refused to wake up.”
Before the sentencing, relatives of the former paramedic pleaded for mercy, and Cicuniec spoke at length, showing no remorse: “No matter what, every patient is important to me and my crew.” He criticized prosecutors for not seeing color. But he continued to defend his actions that night, saying he had to make a “split-second decision.” Addressing Sheneen McClain, he said: “I am truly sorry that her son’s life was lost. And most of all, I hope there is a better outcome for that night.”
Mr. Rosenblatt and Mr. Woodyard were acquitted at trial. Woodyard rejoined the force in November and received more than $400,000 in back pay and other payments from the city. retired in January. Roedema was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 14 months in prison. Sentencing for Cooper is scheduled for April.
