A Colorado jury on Thursday found a police officer guilty of criminally negligent homicide and third-degree assault in the 2019 death of Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old Black man who died after being restrained and injected with ketamine. Randy Roedema, 41, was convicted after two days of deliberations. A former officer, Jason Rosenblatt, 34, was acquitted of the charges he faced: reckless manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, and second-degree assault. “Today’s verdict is about accountability; everyone is accountable and equal under the law,” Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said in a statement. “And hopefully today’s verdict is another step in the healing process for the Aurora community and the state.” Roedema had been suspended without pay from the Aurora Police Department, while Rosenblatt was fired in 2020. Both officers “chose force at every opportunity,” prosecutor Duane Lyons told the court during closing arguments on Tuesday.
