Elijah McClain’s Autopsy Amended to Say Cause of Death Was Police-Administered Ketamine Overdose

Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old Black man, died in August 2019 following a police stop. Accused by police of being uncontrollable, McClain was given a ketamine shot against his will, which stopped his heart. He died in the hospital after being declared brain dead.

The Adams County Coroner’s Office in Colorado on Friday released an amended version of McClain’s autopsy report, based on new information provided to the office.

The report now lists the cause of death as “complications of ketamine administration following forcible restraint” - it previously described McClain’s death as “undetermined.”

In an amended opinion at the end of the new version of the report, coroner Stephen Cina said the original decision had been “based on information available at the time.”

“Since then, this office has received additional material for review, including extensive body camera footage, witness statements, and additional records,” he adds. “It is worth noting that these materials had been requested prior to release of the initial autopsy report, but the material was either not provided to us or not provided to us in their entirety. Having insufficient information as of November 7, 2019, was one of the reasons the cause and manner of death in this case were deemed undetermined. Additional material of relevance has also been generated through the grand jury investigation.”

He then describes how McClain had a high blood ketamine level and that the newly viewed footage showed he was “extremely sedated within minutes,” including evidence that respiratory arrest was “imminent.”

“Simply put, this dosage of ketamine was too much for this individual and it resulted in an overdose, even though his blood ketamine level was consistent with a 'therapeutic' blood concentration,” Cina wrote. “I believe that Mr. McClain would most likely be alive but for the administration of ketamine.”

He added that a “carotid control hold” had been applied to McClain by police, but that he could not determine whether it contributed to McClain’s death. However, he noted that McClain was “likely under physiological and emotional stress,” which can result in “several metabolic abnormalities,” of which it is not possible to determine their relation to his death.

In sum, Cina said that McClain died due to “ketamine toxicity,” which is “usually classified as an accident.”

Aurora Police stopped McClain on the night of August 24, 2019, following a 9-1-1 call about a “sketchy” person in the neighborhood. McClain, who was walking from a convenience store, was wearing a ski mask for warmth due to a blood circulation disorder and had headphones on, dancing to the music on his walk. When police approached him, he didn’t immediately respond because he didn’t hear them, and officers treated this suspiciously. Later, a struggle with police ensued, and they restrained him and ordered medics to give him a ketamine shot to calm him down. It was later determined they had both considerably exaggerated his hostility and his size, leading to medics giving him a larger dose of ketamine than was appropriate.

Demonstrators carry a banner while marching down Interstate 225 during a rally and march over the death of 23-year-old Elijah McClain, Saturday, June 27, 2020, in Aurora, Colo. McClain died in late August 2019 after he was stopped while walking to his apartment by three Aurora Police Department officers.

© AP Photo / David Zalubowski

On the way to the hospital, McClain suffered cardiac arrest and died three days later.

An Aurora Police Department investigation afterward exonerated the three responding officers - Nathan Woodyard, Jason Rosenblatt and Randy Roedema - of any criminal wrongdoing, and a subsequent review of their actions in February 2020 found their application of force consistent with police training. However, an independent investigation commissioned by the Aurora City Council eviscerated the officers’ actions, finding that "Aurora police and paramedics made substantial errors at nearly every stage of their interaction with Elijah McClain and the detectives tasked with investigating the incident that led to the 23-year-old’s death stretched the truth to exonerate the officers involved."

The three officers, plus two medics, fire department paramedic Jeremy Cooper and fire Lt. Peter Cichuniec, were later charged with a total of 32 counts, including manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide, just over two years after McClain’s death.

McClain’s death became a major focal point for the 2020 nationwide Black Lives Matter protests that followed the murder of George Floyd, and thousands of protesters demanded that officers be held responsible for McClain’s death as well. Protesters who led a series of militant marches, including a protest outside an area police station, were later violently arrested and charged with a slew of crimes, including attempted kidnapping and attempting to influence a public official. Judges threw out the charges after a nationwide campaign was mounted to exonerate the demonstrators.