AURORA, Colo. — Former Aurora, Colo., police officer Randy Roedema was sentenced to 14 months in jail on Friday for his involvement in the 2019 death of Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old Black man, whose passing sparked demands for law enforcement accountability.
Roedema was convicted of criminally negligent homicide and third-degree assault in McClain’s death. He was the only officer found guilty in a case that gained attention in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. McClain’s death led to policy changes at the state and local levels regarding the administration of ketamine by paramedics and the use of chokehold restraints by the police.
Before his sentencing, Sheneen McClain, Elijah’s mother, stated, “Randy Roedema stole my son’s life. All the belated apologies in the world cannot remove my son’s blood from Randy’s hands.”
During the sentencing hearing, Roedema expressed remorse, acknowledging that time would not make up for the loss of McClain. He hoped that first responders would be trained to handle situations like McClain’s with more care. However, he did not take personal responsibility for the killing. He faced a sentence ranging from probation to several years behind bars.
Prosecutors alleged during the trial that Roedema and other officers continually used excessive force, violated their training, and ignored McClain’s deteriorating condition. They detained McClain after a 911 call reported him as appearing “sketchy” while leaving a convenience store near his apartment.
McClain was wearing a ski mask and carrying a shopping bag due to a medical condition that made him cold. He repeatedly told the police officers, “I can’t breathe,” during the encounter.
The national attention on McClain’s death grew after George Floyd’s murder in 2020, shedding light on the killing of unarmed Black individuals across the country.
Recently, two paramedics were found responsible for McClain’s death and were convicted of criminally negligent homicide for administering a fatal dose of ketamine. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed a police accountability law a year after McClain’s death, banning the type of chokehold used on McClain and limiting the use of ketamine by paramedics.
In 2021, the city of Aurora settled a civil rights lawsuit with McClain’s family for $15 million.