AURORA, COLORADO - In a highly anticipated trial, Aurora police officer Nathan Woodyard has been found not guilty by a jury of reckless manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide in connection with the death of Elijah McClain. The unarmed 23-year-old Black man died in 2019 after being subdued by police and subsequently injected with ketamine by paramedics.

The charges against Woodyard stem from an incident on August 24, 2019, when officers responded to a call about a "suspicious person" wearing a ski mask. McClain, a massage therapist, musician, and animal lover, was walking home from a convenience store carrying a plastic bag with iced tea. Body camera footage showed police wrestling McClain to the ground and placing him in a carotid hold, while paramedics later administered ketamine to him. McClain suffered a heart attack on the way to the hospital and passed away three days later.

Initially, prosecutors declined to bring charges in the case, but following the nationwide Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, the case received renewed scrutiny. Colorado Governor Jared Polis appointed a special prosecutor, leading to a grand jury indictment of Woodyard, two other officers, and two paramedics in McClain's death.

During the trial, which began last month, the defense presented testimony from law enforcement officers at the scene as well as medical experts. Prosecutors argued that the officers had used excessive force, applying two carotid holds on McClain and failing to check his vital signs. Dr. Roger Mitchell Jr., a forensic pathologist who reviewed McClain's autopsy, testified that McClain's cause of death was "complications following acute ketamine administration during violent subdual and restraint by law enforcement, emergency response personnel." He emphasized a direct causal link between the officers' actions and McClain's death.

The defense, on the other hand, argued that the carotid holds were justified as McClain was physically resisting. They placed the blame on the paramedics, asserting that the officers' actions did not lead directly to McClain's death. Instead, they argued that the paramedics erred by administering a dose of ketamine that was too large for his size.

In addition to Woodyard, two other officers, Randy Roedema and Jason Rosenblatt, were tried jointly. Roedema was found guilty of lesser-included charges of criminally negligent homicide and third-degree assault, while Rosenblatt was acquitted of all charges.

The trial for the two paramedics who treated McClain, Jeremy Cooper and Peter Cichuniec, is expected to take place in the upcoming weeks. Both paramedics have pleaded not guilty.

In 2021, the city of Aurora settled a civil rights lawsuit with the McClain family for $15 million, acknowledging a pattern of racial bias within the Aurora police and fire departments. As part of the settlement, the police and fire departments agreed to a consent decree aimed at addressing these issues.

Officer Woodyard remains suspended from the Aurora Police Department without pay pending the outcome of the trial.