What to know about Elijah McClain’s death and the cases against police and paramedics

By COLLEEN SLEVIN and MATTHEW BROWN
Associated Press

BRIGHTON, Colo. (AP) — Prosecutors say a Denver area police officer who put Elijah McClain in a neck hold before he was injected with ketamine by paramedics bears responsibility for the Black man’s 2019 death. The claim in opening statements Tuesday in the trial of Nathan Woodyard follows a split verdict by jurors last week in a separate trial against two other officers charged in the case. The prosecution says Woodyard violated policies on force and de-escalation and then abandoned McClain by stepping away from the immediate scene. Woodyard’s lawyer said Woodyard put McClain in the neck hold after another officer said McClain had tried to grab another officer’s gun. She said Woodyard had to react quickly to protect everyone.