Highlights: Elijah McClain, 23, was stabbed around the neck and then forcibly injected with a powerful sedative during an arrest in Aurora, a city in the western US state. McClain died three days later of a heart attack. Two rescuers prosecuted, Jeremy Cooper, 49, and Peter Cichuniec, 51, were found guilty by the jury of negligent manslaughter. The use of ketamine by paramedics to tranquilize people against their will has sparked controversy in the United States.

Four years after his death, the American justice system has handed down its verdict in the case of Elijah McClain, a young African-American. The two rescuers responsible for his death were found guilty of manslaughter...

USA: Two paramedics found guilty of Elijah McClain's death of ketamine overdose

Four years after his death, the American justice system has handed down its verdict in the case of Elijah McClain, a young African-American. The two paramedics responsible for his death were found guilty of manslaughter by a Colorado court. The young man went out shopping and was arrested and put on anesthetic. An anesthetic he did not survive.

A protester carries an image of Elijah McClain during a rally and march on June 27, 2020, in Aurora, Colorado. Two paramedics were found guilty on Friday, December 22, 2023, for the 2019 murder of McClain, who was injected with an overdose of the sedative ketamine. AP - David Zalubowski

By: RFI Follow

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In August 2019, 23-year-old Elijah McClain was stabbed around the neck and then forcibly injected with a powerful sedative during an arrest in Aurora, a city in the western US state. He died three days later of a heart attack.

His death only attracted media attention after the death of George Floyd, another African-American man killed in a police intervention in May 2020, brought his case, and others, back into the spotlight.

The two rescuers prosecuted, Jeremy Cooper, 49, and Peter Cichuniec, 51, were found guilty by the jury of negligent manslaughter, according to theWashington Post. Cichuniec was also convicted of second-degree assault for unlawful administration of drugs, and was immediately taken into custody, according to CNN.

Their lawyers argued that they had only followed protocol by administering the sedative, ketamine. This defence was dismissed by the prosecutors, who reproached them in particular for not having spoken to the victim, nor for having checked his vital signs before administering the product.

The use of this powerful sedative by paramedics to tranquilize people against their will has sparked controversy in the United States and has led to investigations in several U.S. states.

"There was no indication that Elijah needed ketamine, and you've heard from many experts that there was no medical purpose in administering it," prosecutor Shannon Stevenson said, according to U.S. media reports. "The defendants have never done anything to obtain Elijah McClain's consent to any treatment, and no reasonable person would consent to an overdose of a drug they do not need," she continued.

In October, a Colorado court found one of the white American police officers charged with manslaughter. Two other police officers were acquitted.

Police had been called by a person mentioning a "suspicious" black man wearing a ski mask and "behaving strangely" on an Aurora street. A police officer said McClain, who was not carrying a weapon, tried to grab his gun during the intervention.

According to the victim's family, he had simply gone out to buy a drink and often wore this ski mask to avoid catching a cold.

(With AFP)

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USA: Two paramedics found guilty of Elijah McClain's death of ketamine overdose

USA: Two paramedics found guilty of Elijah McClain's death of ketamine overdose

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