Colorado Court of Appeals Reverses Convictions of Former Paramedics in Elijah McClain Case
The former paramedics involved in the death of Elijah McClain had their criminally negligent homicide convictions reversed by the Colorado Court of Appeals. The court ordered a new trial for both Jeremy Cooper and Peter Cichuniec. Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old Black man, was confronted by police officers and then injected with ketamine by the paramedics while walking home in August 2019. He went into cardiac arrest and passed away three days later. Cooper and Cichuniec were initially convicted of criminally negligent homicide in December 2023. The court upheld Cichuniec's conviction for second-degree assault - unlawful administration of drugs. In September 2024, Cichuniec's five-year prison sentence was overturned, and he was instead sentenced to probation.