AFP
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News from the NOS•yesterday, 19:35
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A 23-year-old black man who died in 2019 after his arrest in the U.S. state of Colorado died of an overdose of the narcotic ketamine. This is according to an autopsy report on the case, which was released yesterday after continued pressure. The man, Elijah McClain, received the drug after being arrested on the street.
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McClain was stopped by police in 2019 on his way home with groceries. The police had just received a complaint about a man behaving suspiciously. One of the officers involved said that McClain, who was himself unarmed, had taken his service pistol. The agents then grabbed the man with a neck tie and called for help. This is what McClain gave the ketamine.
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After being given the tranquilizer, McClain went into cardiac arrest. He died in the hospital six days later. The autopsy report now shows that the ketamine dose was too high for his body weight.
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The original 2019 autopsy report did not indicate a cause of death. This is why the three officers and two aid workers were not initially prosecuted.
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The autopsy report was updated in July 2021, but has not been made public. When Colorado Public Radio found out, the organization went to court, supported, among others, by the influential news agency AP. The autopsy report has now been made public by court order.
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Attention after George Floyd
The McClain case once again attracted attention following the murder of George Floyd a year later and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. There have been several vigils and protests in Aurora since the fatal accident.
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AFP
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Last year The case was however taken up by a jury. This is a group of citizens who decide whether the prosecutor has enough evidence to prosecute. The jury decided that the five involved were charged with manslaughter and reckless conduct resulting in death. Their case is expected to expire in November.
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Last year, prosecutors in Aurora, the city where the case took place, concluded that agents often use excessive force in their work and use ethnic profiling too often.
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Officers using lethal force in the United States are rarely prosecuted, as the police enjoy a high level of protection when it comes to using force.
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