Who was Elijah McClain? US man who died in police custody

Elijah McClain died days after he was subdued by three policemen and injected with a powerful sedative
via REUTERS

The death of an unarmed black man in police custody has received renewed attention after the death of George Floyd sparked anti-racism protests around the world.

Elijah McClain 23, died three days after he was put in a chokehold and sedated by Aurora police after someone reported him for looking "sketchy" because he was wearing a ski mask.

A petition demanding justice for the young black man from Colorado has now been signed by more than three million people.

The petition, which calls for a more thorough investigation of Elijah, comes after the death of George Floyd who also died in police custody.

Here we look at what we know about Elijah's story so far.

Elijah died three days after he was arrested by police
AP

Who was Elijah McClain?

Elijah worked as a massage therapist and his family's lawyer, Mari Newman, has shared how he enjoyed playing his violin to animals at a shelter that were waiting to be adopted.

The 23-year-old's mother, Sheneen McClain said on a fundraising page that Elijah "brought joy to everyone who met him".

"The world is a darker place without him", she wrote.

Ms McClain added that Elijah enjoyed running, drawing and he used his musical skills to teach himself how to play the piano, guitar, cello and violin.

Elijah enjoyed playing his violin at the animal shelter
via REUTERS

What happened to Elijah McClain?

Mr McClain was not armed or suspected of committing a crime when he was stopped on his way home from a convenience store and pinned to the ground by officers on August 24, 2019, where he reportedly started to vomit and sob while handcuffed.

In body-worn footage later released, Mr McClain can be heard telling officers: "Let me go. I am an introvert, please respect my boundaries that I am speaking."

He was then injected with 500 milligrams of ketamine to sedate him.

According to Mr McClain's family, he was anaemic and wore a ski mask to keep his face warm while he was walking.

In October his family called for an independent investigation and for the officers involved in his arrest to be charged with murder.

Adams Country District Attorney Dave Young concluded in a report published in November that the police involved would not be charged.

He said: "Based on the investigation presented and the applicable Colorado law, there is no reasonable likelihood of success of proving any state crimes beyond a reasonable doubt at trial."

The Adam’s County Coroner’s Office could not determine the exact cause of Mr McClain’s death.

The officers involved were placed on administrative leave, but have reportedly been reinstated.

Black Lives Matter protests across the world - In pictures

1/21

What is the latest update?

Governor Jared Polis has said the circumstances of Elijah's death will be re-examined.

He announced on Twitter yesterday that he has signed an executive order designating Attorney General Phil Weiser to investigate the 23-year-old's death.

If the facts support prosecution, Governor Polis said the Attorney General will "criminally prosecute any individuals whose actions caused the death of Elijah McClain".

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

"Now more than ever, we must do everything within our power to foster public trust and confidence in law enforcement and the criminal justice system.

"As a father, my heart breaks for the McClain family. All Coloradans should be safe walking home from the convenience store, or just being in their own neighbourhoods listening to headphones.

"We need to do a better job, and at a bare minimum they deserve a thorough review of the case."

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in