Aurora, Colorado Still Seeking New Independent Review of Elijah McClain’s Death

Interests into the death of Elijah McClain has garnered national attention in the aftermath of the in-custody death of George Floyd. Activists have flooded the emails and voicemails of law enforcement agencies in Aurora, CO, demanding the death of Elijah McClain be reexamined.

The renewed flood of calls and emails prompted Michael Bryant, Aurora’s interim manager of communications to release the following statement regarding the demand for independent review:

“The City Council and City Manager are working together to identify a new independent review of the city’s response in the Elijah McClain case. Currently, we’re considering a team of experts from across the country to be involved and provide insight from different perspectives, but the exact participants have not been selected. We are committed to seeing this process move forward quickly to help restore our residents’ trust in the city and its police department.”

Last summer, Aurora police responded to a suspicious person in the area. Upon arrival, they encountered McClain, who was walking home from getting his brother an iced tea. Reports claim a struggle between officers and the victim took place, causing officers to use a carotid hold to restrain him and fire rescue to administer a sedative to help him calm down. MSN reports that McClain went into cardiac arrest and was taken to a nearby hospital, where he later died on August 30, 2019, after he was taken off life support.

The 17th Judicial District Attorney Dave Young cleared the officers of wrongdoing following a review of the incident, which has caused an uproar as attention to McClain comes to light. Office Spokesperson Sue Lindsay says they have received 10,000 emails and 1,000 voicemails since June 7, a vast difference from the two emails received in the previous six months.

According to Lindsay, many of the emails are identical to the widely disseminated form letter that asks Young to probe the case further and prosecute the arresting officers involved. In the past, Young said he had no intention to reopen the case, pending the discovery of new evidence.

However, a spokesperson for Governor Jared Polis implied it might benefit the “public trust” if Young takes action.

“Public confidence in the process is incredibly important,” Conor Cahil, a spokesperson for the Governor’s office, wrote in a statement. “The Governor’s office has received many phone calls and emails this week about the tragic death of Elijah McClain. The Governor always supports making sure that there is a fair and objective process free from real or perceived bias for investigating officer-involved killings and was proud to add additional accountability measures by signing SB20-217 last week. It is the Governor’s hope that the DA and those involved take the steps necessary to restore public confidence in law enforcement and the process.”

The national Change.org petition has reached more than 2.2 signatures for the case, but again, the city has yet to find a team that can handle the independent investigation of the 2019 incident.