Rosenblatt, Cooper, Cichuniec:Second-degree assault Elijah Jovan McClain (February 25, 1996 – August 30, 2019) was a 23-year-old black American man from Aurora, Colorado, who was killed as a result of being illegally[1] injected with 500 mg of ketamine by paramedics after being forcibly detained by police officers.

[5][6] The three police officers who were involved in the incident (Nathan Woodyard, Jason Rosenblatt, and Randy Roedema)[7] all said that their body cameras were knocked off during a struggle with McClain.

Upon arrival paramedics Jeremy Cooper and Peter Cichuniec administered ketamine, later determined to be in excess of a therapeutic dosage, to McClain to sedate him.

[10] As a result of a lawsuit by several news agencies, an amended autopsy report was released in September 2022 that listed the cause of death as "complications of ketamine administration following forcible restraint".

[11] On June 24, 2020, after massive protests in Denver and Aurora and lawmakers' requests for a new, third-party investigation into McClain's death,[12] Colorado Governor Jared Polis announced his administration would reexamine the case.

[20] He was sentenced on January 5, 2024 by District Judge Mark Warner to 14 months at the Adams County Jail in Brighton, Colorado, with possibility of work-release, plus 200 hours community service.

However, a news source states, "But if you watch the video from about the 15-minute mark (warning: It contains violent and upsetting content), you'll see someone pick up the body camera and point it toward McClain and one of the officers before dropping it back into the grass.

According to the original autopsy report from Adams County Coroner's Office, released in November 2019, McClain's exact cause of death could not be determined and was therefore listed as undetermined.

On September 2, 2022, chief coroner of Adams County Monica Broncucia-Jordan announced the autopsy report of McClain had been changed in response to new evidence from a grand jury investigation.

[42] "The investigation suggests that [McClain] received an intramuscular dose of ketamine that was higher than recommended for his weight," Adams County chief coroner Monica Broncucia-Jordan autopsy report read.

Adams County District Attorney Dave Young later determined that none of the three officers—Nathan Woodyard, Jason Rosenblatt, and Randy Roedema[44]—committed any criminal acts, and no charges were filed against them.

[47] On June 6, 2020, an online petition called for a reopening of the investigation into the death of McClain, and a request that the officers involved be removed from duty had been signed by more than 820,000 people.

Twombly responded saying that the city had already initiated an independent review of his death under the direction of Eric Daigle, a former Connecticut state police officer and attorney who now consults on the use of force and related policies.

Council members replied saying they were not satisfied with the city's choice of a former police officer: "[We] don't consider Eric Daigle to be independent and neutral due to his long career in law enforcement.

"[12] On June 26, a spokesperson for the city of Aurora announced that all three officers involved in the incident had been reassigned to working in a non-enforcement capacity in an attempt to protect their safety.

Polis said in a statement, "Elijah McClain should be alive today, and we owe it to his family to take this step and elevate the pursuit of justice in his name to a statewide concern.

"[50] On June 29, the interim police chief announced that multiple officers had been placed on administrative leave and were under investigation after photos of them surfaced that had been taken near the site where McClain was taken into custody.

[14] At a news conference, acting police chief Vanessa Wilson said, "While the allegations of this internal affairs case are not criminal, they are a crime against humanity and decency.

Paul Appelbaum, who oversees changes to psychiatry's main diagnostic manual, has commented, "excited delirium is bad science, based on faulty studies that grew out of the 1980s cocaine epidemic.

"[55] Carl Takei, a senior staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union who focuses on police practices, said "ascribing a person's actions to excited delirium can create a shield for officers who use excessive force".

[56] The report concluded that "Aurora police and paramedics made substantial errors at nearly every stage of their interaction with Elijah McClain and the detectives tasked with investigating the incident that led to the 23-year-old's death stretched the truth to exonerate the officers involved."

The report said that the police had no legal basis to make McClain stop walking, to frisk him, or to use a chokehold and the paramedics failed to properly evaluate him, measure his vital signs  – or even to attempt to speak with him – before injecting him with ketamine.

[45][76] A second event for McClain was held on June 6, 2020, after the murder of George Floyd led to the formation of a nationwide protest movement in the United States.

In the evening people, including families with children, started to gather in City Center Park, where musicians formed a circle and performed a violin concert in memory of McClain, who had been an accomplished violinist.

At that point, law enforcement declared the protest an "illegal gathering" and ordered people to leave the park or face the use of pepper spray for dispersal.

According to a police statement, "pepper spray was used after a small group of people gathered rocks [and] sticks, knocked over a fence, and ignored orders to move back".

[87] Following the summer protests, Aurora Police Department arrested organizers involved with the Party for Socialism and Liberation and other local groups on charges ranging from "inciting a riot" to "kidnapping".

On September 17, 6 organizers, Russel Ruch, Joel Northam, Lillian House, Eliza Lucero, Trey Quinn, and Terrance Roberts, were arrested.

[90] On March 12, 2021, Judge Leroy Kirby dismissed the kidnapping charges against House, Lucero, and Northam, noting that if the warrants for their arrest had been presented to him, he would not have signed them.

[4] During the Sudanese civil war (2023-present), social media users circulated a photo which they claimed was of faction leader Hemedti hospitalized in Nairobi, Kenya.