AURORA, Colorado – Former police officer Randy Roedema, the only Colorado cop convicted in the death of Elijah McClain, has been sentenced to 14 months in jail. McClain was stopped by police as he walked home from a convenience store in Aurora in August 2019. He was placed in a chokehold and injected with a lethal dose of ketamine.
Roedema was convicted of homicide and third-degree assault, while two other officers, Nathan Woodyard and Jason Rosenblatt, were acquitted. The 23-year-old McClain, a massage therapist and violinist, died shortly after the encounter with the police.
The case gained widespread attention during the racial justice protests following the murder of George Floyd. Authorities initially decided against criminal charges in 2019, but Colorado Governor Jared Polis ordered the state Attorney General’s office to reopen the case in 2020. A grand jury indicted the officers and paramedics in 2021.
Following a disputed suspicious person complaint, McClain, who had a blood circulation disorder, was restrained by officers and injected with ketamine. Prosecutors argued that the paramedics did not conduct basic medical checks and neglected to monitor McClain after administering the sedative, leading to his death.
The aftermath of McClain’s tragic death spurred legislative changes to restrict the use of neck holds in over two dozen states.
In a final verdict, Roedema was sentenced to 14 months in jail for third-degree assault and four years of probation for negligent homicide. The impact of McClain’s death has been far-reaching, and it has become a symbol of the broader movement for police reform and racial justice.