Other potential jurors who were removed included a woman who identified herself as Hispanic and said her husband was singled out for arrest in a conflict with white people. The 12 jurors and 2 alternates appeared to be mostly white.

The man remained off the jury, but what happened in the closed discussions was not revealed in open court. Sheneen McClain dabbed tears from her eyes when Bunge described how her son, who was often cold, was wearing a runner’s mask when he went to a convenience store near his house before police stopped him.įamily members of the two officers also were present, as were other Aurora police.īefore jury selection could be finalized, Judge Mark Warner talked behind closed doors with attorneys for both sides as well as a man whom the defense struck from the jury pool after he said he’d been racially profiled about a half-dozen times by police, including in Aurora. McClain’s mother sat in the front of the courtroom for the opening statements. “And don’t let politics enter into this at all.” “Please be fair and don’t allow emotion or sympathy come into it,” Steinberg told jurors. He added that McClain showed “continued resistance” after he was stopped and the officers were forced to respond accordingly. Rosenblatt’s attorney, Harvey Steinberg, argued that the officers had no choice but to stop McClain after the 911 call.

McClain died because paramedic (Jeremy) Cooper injected him with 1.7, 1.8 times the ketamine for someone his weight and size.” “After being injected with ketamine, that’s when Mr. He blamed McClain’s death on paramedics who later arrived on the scene and took control over his care. “Just because a tragedy occurred doesn’t mean criminality occurred,” Elkus said. McClain was stopped in a “high-crime area,” and officers repeatedly told him to halt before he complied, Elkus said, adding that they didn’t want to hurt him. The sedative is the last thing he needs,” the prosecutor said.īut Roedema’s attorney, Reid Elkus, said the officers’ actions were in line with department policies and their own training. “He is drifting further and further toward death. McClain threw up repeatedly after the neck hold and was drowning in his own vomit, according to Bunge. “When Elijah is on the ground handcuffed, he’s saying over and over and over again, ‘I can’t breathe. “Listen to Elijah’s words,” Bunge said as he replayed police body camera video of the episode. Prosecutor Jonathan Bunge said the officers violated department policies by using excessive force against McClain, who was unarmed, and failing to deescalate the situation.

In 2020, neck holds by police were banned by the state’s Democratic-led Legislature. Officials have determined the sedative ketamine played a key role in McClain’s death, which fueled renewed scrutiny about the use of the drug for people considered to be acting erratically and led Colorado’s health department to limit when emergency workers can administer it. The trial is expected to last about a month.Ī third officer and two paramedics are also charged in McClain’s death and are scheduled for trial later this year. They have pleaded not guilty but have never spoken publicly about the allegations against them. Roedema and Rosenblatt are both charged with criminally negligent homicide, manslaughter and assault. 24, 2019 stop was unjustified, that would undermine any argument that McClain’s injuries were a result of the officers just doing their jobs. If prosecutors can convince jurors the Aug. A 911 caller had reported him as “sketchy.” Officers Randy Roedema and Jason Rosenblatt approached McClain, a 23-year-old massage therapist, as he walked home from a convenience store carrying only a plastic bag with three cans of iced tea and his phone.

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