Colorado cops were placed on leave after taking photos at the memorial of Elijah McClain memorial.
What We Know:
- Three Aurora, Colorado police officers are on administrative leave after allegedly taking photos reenacting the chokehold that was used on Elijah McClain at his memorial.
- An investigative reporter for CBS4 in Denver, Brian Maass, posted on Twitter about the incident.
#Breaking: multiple sources say 3 @AuroraPD officers under investigation for taking inappropriate photos at a memorial for #ElijahMclain. Aurora PD tells @cbsdenver "An IA is in progress regarding photographs that were taken at that location". Statement coming soon from APD Chief
— Brian Maass (@Briancbs4) June 30, 2020
- Elijah McClain was a 23-year-old man that was killed while in police custody after being detained while walking home. A resident called the police to report a “suspicious person” after seeing McClain, who normally wore a ski mask on his walks home to protect him form the cold. McClain had anemia.
- McClain repeatedly said he “couldn’t breath” when police used a carotid chokehold and after 15 minutes they called an ambulance. Once paramedics got to the scene, they administered the drug ketamine to sedate McClain. McClain suffered a heart attack on the way to the hospital and died one week later.
- The Aurora interim police chief, Vanessa Willson issued the following statement on Monday:
“Thursday afternoon, I was apprised of allegations reported to Internal Affairs by an Aurora Police Officer alleging multiple Aurora Police officers were depicted in photographs near the site where Elijah McClain died. All involved officers were immediately placed on administrative leave with pay in non-enforcement capacities. I immediately ordered Internal Affairs to make this investigation their top priority. This accelerated investigation was completed this evening. This investigation will be publicly released in its entirety promptly upon its conclusion. This will include reports, photographic evidence obtained, officers’ names, and my final determination which can rise to the level of termination.”
- The family attorney of McClain stated the allegations are a “new low” for the Aurora police.
- The Colorado Attorney General, Phil Weiser, is now investigating the death of McClain and stated that McClain “should be alive to day”.
“Whenever someone dies after an encounter with law enforcement, the community deserves a thorough investigation,” he said. “Our investigation will be thorough, guided by the facts, and worthy of public trust and confidence in the criminal justice system.”
