File:Elijah McClain with checkered shirt and glasses.jpg — Credit: Unknown · Copyrighted — editorial use, owner-approved 2026-07-12
Elijah Jovan McClain was a 23-year-old massage therapist from Aurora, Colorado, described by friends and family as a gentle, music-loving vegetarian who had never been arrested or charged with a crime. On the evening of August 24, 2019, a resident called 911 to report a man wearing a ski mask and flailing his arms near Billings Street and Evergreen Avenue; the caller said he did not believe the man was armed or that anyone was in danger. McClain was walking home from a convenience store and was wearing the mask because a blood circulation disorder made him chill easily.
Officers Nathan Woodyard, Jason Rosenblatt, and Randy Roedema stopped McClain and forcibly held him on the ground with his hands cuffed behind his back for about 15 minutes. Body-camera audio recorded McClain sobbing, repeatedly saying he could not breathe, and apologizing after he vomited. Woodyard applied a carotid hold that briefly rendered McClain unconscious. The officers' body cameras were reported to have come off during the struggle, so no video exists of some disputed moments, including the officers' account that McClain reached for a gun.
Paramedics Jeremy Cooper and Peter Cichuniec arrived and injected McClain with 500 mg of ketamine to sedate him for suspected "excited delirium," a dose exceeding local protocol for his actual weight of 140 pounds. McClain went into cardiac arrest at the scene, was declared brain dead three days later, and died on August 30, 2019, after being removed from life support. His initial autopsy listed the cause of death as undetermined. An amended report, released in September 2022 after a lawsuit by news organizations forced its disclosure, listed the cause of death as complications of ketamine administration following forcible restraint, though the manner of death remained undetermined.
No charges were filed initially, and a small protest followed in November 2019. Public attention intensified in mid-2020 amid nationwide protests following the killing of George Floyd; an online petition calling for a new investigation gathered millions of signatures, and Colorado Governor Jared Polis appointed a special prosecutor. Separately, photos surfaced in June 2020 showing officers near the site of McClain's death reenacting the carotid hold used on him; several officers, including Rosenblatt, were fired or resigned, though that internal matter was not treated as criminal. An independent investigation commissioned by the Aurora City Council, released in February 2021, found that officers lacked a legal basis to stop or restrain McClain and that paramedics failed to properly evaluate him before injecting ketamine.
In September 2021, a grand jury indicted all three officers and both paramedics on manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, and related charges. At trial in October and November 2023, Roedema was convicted of criminally negligent homicide and assault, while Rosenblatt and Woodyard were acquitted of all charges. In December 2023, Cooper and Cichuniec were convicted of criminally negligent homicide, with Cichuniec also convicted of second-degree assault. Roedema was sentenced to 14 months in jail; Cichuniec initially received five years in prison, later reduced to four years of probation; Cooper received four years of probation. On June 4, 2026, a Colorado appeals court overturned both paramedics' convictions, and a new trial is pending. The city of Aurora separately agreed in November 2021 to pay McClain's family $15 million to settle a civil rights lawsuit.
Aurora, Colorado police officers Nathan Woodyard, Jason Rosenblatt, and Randy Roedema stop McClain as he walks home from a convenience store, forcibly restrain him on the ground for about 15 minutes, and apply a carotid hold; paramedics Jeremy Cooper and Peter Cichuniec then inject him with 500 mg of ketamine, a dose exceeding local protocol for his weight.
2019-08-27
McClain is declared brain dead.
2019-08-28
The three officers involved are placed on paid administrative leave.
2019-08-30
McClain is removed from life support and dies, six days after the encounter.
2019-11
A small protest is held in response to Adams County District Attorney Dave Young's decision not to file charges against the officers.
2019-11-22
The Aurora Police Department publicly releases body-camera footage and 911 call audio from the encounter.
2020-06-06
An online petition calling for a new investigation surpasses 820,000 signatures; a second memorial protest is held after the killing of George Floyd renews national attention on McClain's death.
2020-06-24
Colorado Governor Jared Polis announces his administration will reexamine McClain's case.
2020-06-25
With the petition surpassing three million signatures, Polis appoints a special prosecutor and directs the state attorney general to investigate the officers involved.
2020-06-27
Thousands attend a protest and memorial violin concert for McClain in Aurora; police later declare the gathering unlawful and use pepper spray and gas to disperse the crowd.
2020-06-29
Photos surface showing Aurora officers posing near the site of McClain's restraint and reenacting the carotid hold used on him; several officers are placed on administrative leave.
2020-07
Three Aurora officers, including Jason Rosenblatt, are fired and one resigns following the internal investigation into the photos.
2021-02-22
An independent investigation commissioned by the Aurora City Council finds that police lacked a legal basis to stop, frisk, or restrain McClain and that paramedics failed to evaluate him before injecting ketamine.
2021-09
A Colorado grand jury indicts officers Roedema, Rosenblatt, and Woodyard and paramedics Cooper and Cichuniec on manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, and related charges.
2021-11-19
The city of Aurora agrees to pay McClain's family $15 million to settle a civil rights lawsuit, finalized after a federal mediation hearing.
2022-09-02
Adams County's coroner amends McClain's autopsy report to list the cause of death as complications of ketamine administration following forcible restraint; the manner of death remains listed as undetermined.
2023-10-12
A jury convicts Roedema of criminally negligent homicide and assault and acquits Rosenblatt of all charges.
2023-11-06
A jury acquits Woodyard of all charges.
2023-12-22
A jury convicts Cooper and Cichuniec of criminally negligent homicide; Cichuniec is also convicted of second-degree assault.
2024-01-05
Roedema is sentenced to 14 months at the Adams County Jail, with the possibility of work-release, plus 200 hours of community service.
2024-03-01
Cichuniec is sentenced to the mandatory minimum of five years in prison.
2024-04-26
Cooper is sentenced to four years of probation.
2024-09
Cichuniec's prison sentence is reduced to four years of probation.
2026-06-04
Colorado appeals courts overturn both paramedics' negligent homicide convictions; a new trial is pending.
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Titles and descriptions are the creators’ own and may not reflect current legal status; see the dossier above for sourced case facts.
VIDEO
Dr. Todd Grande / 14 min
Paramedics Inject Man Suffering from "Excited Delirium" with Ketamine | Elijah McClain Case Analysis
People
Randy Roedema
CONVICTED
Aurora police officer; one of three officers who restrained McClain. Indicted by a grand jury in September 2021; found guilty October 12, 2023 of criminally negligent homicide and assault; sentenced January 5, 2024 to 14 months in the Adams County Jail with possibility of work-release, plus 200 hours of community service.
Nathan Woodyard
ACQUITTED
Aurora police officer; applied a carotid control hold to McClain during the restraint. Indicted September 2021; tried beginning October 17, 2023; acquitted of all charges on November 6, 2023.
Jason Rosenblatt
ACQUITTED
Aurora police officer; one of three officers who restrained McClain. Indicted September 2021; acquitted of all charges, including reckless manslaughter and assault, on October 12, 2023. Also fired from the department in 2020 in connection with photos reenacting the restraint used on McClain.
Peter Cichuniec
CONVICTED
Aurora Fire Rescue paramedic who, with Jeremy Cooper, administered ketamine to McClain. Indicted September 2021; convicted December 22, 2023 of criminally negligent homicide and second-degree assault; sentenced March 1, 2024 to five years in prison, later reduced to four years of probation. Conviction overturned by a Colorado appeals court on June 4, 2026, with a new trial pending.
Elijah McClain
VICTIM
23-year-old Black massage therapist from Aurora, Colorado; died six days after being forcibly restrained by police and injected with ketamine by paramedics on August 24, 2019.
Jeremy Cooper
CONVICTED
Aurora Fire Rescue paramedic who, with Peter Cichuniec, administered a 500 mg dose of ketamine to McClain. Indicted September 2021; convicted December 22, 2023 of criminally negligent homicide; sentenced April 26, 2024 to four years of probation. Conviction overturned by a Colorado appeals court on June 4, 2026, with a new trial pending.
Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.
Archival records
portrait victim
File:Elijah McClain with checkered shirt and glasses.jpg
Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old unarmed Black massage therapist, died in Aurora, Colorado, after police forcibly restrained him and paramedics injected him with an overdose of ketamine during a August 2019 stop; one officer was convicted, two were acquitted, and the paramedics' negligent-homicide convictions were later overturned on appeal with a new trial pending.
Where did the killing happen?
Aurora, Colorado.
Who was convicted?
Randy Roedema (Aurora police officer; one of three officers who restrained McClain. Indicted by a grand jury in September 2021; found guilty October 12, 2023 of criminally negligent homicide and assault; sentenced January 5, 2024 to 14 months in the Adams County Jail with possibility of work-release, plus 200 hours of community service.), Peter Cichuniec (Aurora Fire Rescue paramedic who, with Jeremy Cooper, administered ketamine to McClain. Indicted September 2021; convicted December 22, 2023 of criminally negligent homicide and second-degree assault; sentenced March 1, 2024 to five years in prison, later reduced to four years of probation. Conviction overturned by a Colorado appeals court on June 4, 2026, with a new trial pending.), and Jeremy Cooper (Aurora Fire Rescue paramedic who, with Peter Cichuniec, administered a 500 mg dose of ketamine to McClain. Indicted September 2021; convicted December 22, 2023 of criminally negligent homicide; sentenced April 26, 2024 to four years of probation. Conviction overturned by a Colorado appeals court on June 4, 2026, with a new trial pending.).
