Former Colorado paramedic Jeremy Cooper sentenced to probation, work launch after conviction in loss of life of Elijah McClain

Former Colorado paramedic Jeremy Cooper was sentenced to 4 years probation, 14 months work launch and 100 hours of group service on Friday afternoon. Cooper is likely one of the two paramedics who have been discovered responsible of criminally negligent murder within the loss of life of Elijah McClain.

Adams County District Choose Mark Warner stayed Cooper’s sentence till June 7, which he stated will give Cooper time to “make preparations to proceed his employment.”

Former Aurora Fireplace Rescue paramedic Peter Cichuniec was sentenced final month to five years in jail final month, the minimal sentence, and three years of probation by the identical choose, Adams County District Choose Mark Warner. He stated the sentence and the instance it’d ship are tied to public security, but in addition stated he doesn’t consider Cichuniec is a danger to the general public.

McClain was strolling house in August 2019 when the 23-year-old Black man was confronted by law enforcement officials who forcibly restrained him after which the Aurora Fireplace Rescue paramedics — Jeremy Cooper and Cichuniec — injected him with ketamine.  

He went into cardiac arrest in an ambulance a couple of minutes later and died three days after that.

Sheneen McClain, Elijah’s mom, was within the courtroom and spoke earlier than the choose handed down Cooper’s sentence. 

“Jeremy Cooper did what he thought was finest. He did nothing. Jeremy Cooper didn’t examine for my son’s pulse. Jeremy Cooper didn’t conduct a radical examination to see if my son was respiration usually. Jeremy Cooper didn’t work together with my son or ask my son how he was doing underneath the burden of a monster. Jeremy Cooper was there for greater than a number of minutes earlier than my son took his final phrases. Jeremy Cooper heard my son speaking and was there for my son’s final phrases. However Jeremy Cooper simply stood there like a drug vendor ready for his sale,” stated Sheneen McClain. “Nothing Jeremy Cooper can say can deliver again my son or take away my son’s blood from his fingers.”

Cooper and Cichuniec have been each convicted on costs of criminally negligent murder in December 2023.

Cichuniec was additionally discovered responsible of second-degree assault-unlawful administration of medication, a conviction that sometimes carries a 5-to-16-year jail sentence. 

Three officers from the Aurora Police Division have been tried in connection to McClain’s loss of life. Final fall, two of the officers have been acquitted in Elijah’s loss of life and a 3rd was discovered responsible. 

A jury discovered Randy Roedema responsible of criminally negligent murder and third-degree assault, whereas Jason Rosenblatt was discovered not responsible of manslaughter and assault in October 2023. A jury additionally discovered Nathan Woodyard not responsible of manslaughter and criminally negligent murder within the 23-year-old’s loss of life.

In January, Roedema was sentenced to 14 months in jail together with 4 years of probation. He has filed an enchantment and is asking the courtroom to evaluate 9 completely different points of the case.

The Metropolis of Aurora agreed in 2021 to pay $15 million to settle a civil lawsuit introduced by McClain’s dad and mom.