Former US Officer Sentenced in Killing of Black Man
News Desk
Colorado: Randy Roedema, a former Aurora Police Department officer, has been sentenced to 14 months in a county jail for his involvement in the 2019 death of Elijah McClain.
McClain, a young unarmed Black man, died after being subjected to a carotid chokehold and injected with ketamine by paramedics. Roedema, convicted of criminally negligent homicide and third-degree assault, was the only one of three officers prosecuted for McClain’s death to be convicted.
Elijah McClain, 23, was walking home in Aurora in August 2019 when someone reported him as “looking sketchy.” Responding officers subdued him with a chokehold, and paramedics administered a fatal dose of ketamine. McClain died days later in the hospital.
Before the sentencing, McClain’s mother, Sheneen McClain, delivered an emotional statement, accusing Roedema of stealing her son’s life and labeling him a “bully with a badge.” Roedema, a father of three and former Marine, expressed regret for the tragic outcome but maintained that he followed his training.
His lawyers sought probation, but Judge Mark Warner sentenced him to 14 months for assault, with the possibility of work-release, and four years probation for negligent homicide, along with 90 days in jail concurrent with the assault sentence.
Roedema’s conviction is part of a broader case involving three police officers and two paramedics. The trials resulted in different outcomes, with Roedema convicted, another officer acquitted, and the paramedics found guilty of criminally negligent homicide. Roedema’s lawyers plan to appeal his conviction.
The case has been a focal point in the police reform movement, dividing the community and sparking discussions on police accountability.
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