Photo: Elijah McClain | By Colleen Slevin, Associated Press | A Black man died after a police encounter in a Denver suburb in 2019 because he was injected with a powerful sedative after being forcibly restrained, according to an amended autopsy report publicly released Friday.
Despite the finding, the death of Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old massage therapist, was still listed as undetermined, not a homicide, the report shows. McClain was put in a neck hold and injected with ketamine after being stopped by police in Aurora for “being suspicious.” He was unarmed.
The original autopsy report that was written soon after his death in August 2019 did not reach a conclusion about how he died or what type of death it was, such as if it was natural, accidental or a homicide. That was a major reason why prosecutors initially decided not to pursue charges.
But a state grand jury last year indicted three officers and two paramedics on manslaughter and reckless homicide charges in McClain’s death after the case drew renewed attention following the killing of George Floyd in 2020. It became a rallying cry during the national reckoning over racism and police brutality.
The five accused have not yet entered pleas and their lawyers have not commented publicly on the charges.
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“I believe that Mr. McClain would most likely be alive but for the administration of ketamine,” said Cina, who noted that body camera footage shows McClain becoming “extremely sedated” within a few minutes of being given the drug.
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Dr. Carl Wigren, a forensic pathologist in Washington state, questioned the report’s focus on ketamine, saying all the available evidence — including a highly critical independent review of McClain’s death commissioned by Aurora last year — point to McClain dying as a result of compressional asphyxia, a type of suffocation, from officers putting pressure on his body while restraining him. He was struck by one passage in the city’s review citing the ambulance company’s report that its crew found McClain lying on the ground on his stomach, his arms handcuffed behind his back, his torso and legs held down, with at least three officers on top of him.
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However, another pathologist, Dr. Deborah G. Johnson of Colorado, said McClain’s quick reaction to ketamine suggests that it was a cause of McClain’s death, but she said its use cannot be separated from the impact that the police restraint may have had. . . .
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Both thought the death could have been labeled as a homicide — a death caused by the actions of other people — which they pointed out is a separate judgment from deciding whether someone should be prosecuted with a crime for causing it.
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Associated Press reporter Jesse Bedayn contribute to this report. Bedayn is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Go here to read this full and better clarifying story:
https://www.ems1.com/fatal-incidents/articles/amended-autopsy-elijah-mcclain-died-due-to-ketamine-restraint-sj01k7se0VxXkioc/
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Colo. Law Restricting EMS Use of Ketamine Goes into Effect
By Jessie Forand, EMS1 | 2021 | A new Colorado law has gone into effect that will restrict ketamine use by paramedics on agitated people outside a hospital setting.
Signed by Gov. Jared Polis this week, the law on the appropriate use of chemical restraints on a person dictates when and how the drug should be used.
KDVR reported, if a police officer is at the scene, according to the new law, an EMS provider should only administer ketamine if they have weighed the person to confirm dosage, been trained in ketamine administration and advanced airway support, and have equipment available to both manage respiratory depression and monitor the persona’s vital signs so they can respond to reactions.
“I think that ultimately, we believe that in certain circumstances – very particular, violent situations – that ketamine is the best medication,” Will Dunn, senior manager for clinical services,?Eagle County Paramedic Services, said. “I certainly understand and am sympathetic to the sponsors of the bill and wanting to make sure that’s done in the proper way.” Dunn noted Eagle County has increased training into ketamine since the 2019 death of Elijah McClain.
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Go here to read this full story:
https://www.ems1.com/ketamine/articles/colo-law-restricting-ems-use-of-ketamine-goes-into-effect-2q8mdWzEBLvmnSIO/
Amended Autopsy: Elijah McClain Died Due to Ketamine, Restraint / New Ketamine Law
