AURORA, COLORADO: Sheneen McClain, the mother of the deceased Elijah McClain, was seen in tears when the bodycam footage of her son’s arrest was played in the courtroom in Colorado during the trial that started on Wednesday, September 20.
When the footage of her son being tackled by police was played in the courtroom, a distressed Sheneen was seen inhaling deeply.
The footage was played on the third day of the manslaughter trial against the two charged police officers from Aurora, Colorado.
Sheneen refused to take any tissue as her tears were flowing freely after seeing the distressing moments of her son, per Daily News.
Who was Elijah McClain?
Elijah McClain, 23, was returning home in 2019 when he was stopped and put into a chokehold by police and sedated with ketamine by paramedics, which ultimately led to his death six days later.
From the raw video of the events of August 24, 2019, it can be seen that McClain’s interaction with the police started when he was stopped while he was walking home in the Denver suburb of Aurora.
Per The Guardian, he was stopped after a 911 caller reported him as suspicious for wearing a ski mask in late August.
McClain’s family said the 23-year-old was wearing the mask as he was anemic. They also described him as quiet and introverted.
The body cam footage captured his painful words, “I was just trying to go home” and “I’m just different. I’m so sorry.”
However, a physical scuffle started which was followed by McClain repeatedly vomiting and pleading with the police, “I can’t breathe correctly.” He finally lost his consciousness when he was put in a chokehold.
The bodycam footage was given to the prosecutors by the overseer of the bodycam program at Aurora Police Department, Lt Delbert Tisdale. Lt Tisdale was not present during the fateful encounter.
Who are charged in Elijah McClain’s death?
Currently, the trial is going on against two officers Randy Roedema and Jason Rosenblatt.
Per The Guardian, the two police officers pleaded not guilty to charges of criminally negligent homicide, manslaughter, and assault, all felonies.
The officers were charged after a revised coroner's report in 2021 said the powerful sedative given by the paramedics played a major role in McClain’s death.
The news outlet reports that if the prosecutors are successful in convincing the jurors that the stop was unjustified, the argument that McClain received injuries when the officers were doing their duty can be undermined.
The defense attorneys for the police officers, while admitting the death was tragic, is allegedly trying to shift the blame to the paramedics.
Roedema’s attorney Reid Elkus said, “Mr McClain died because paramedic [Jeremy] Cooper injected him with 1.7, 1.8 times the ketamine for someone his weight and size.”
Paramedic Jeremy Cooper, another paramedic, and an officer are scheduled for trial later this year.
