Elijah McClain’s death attributed to ketamine administrated by paramedics

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Elijah McClain died after being administrated ketamine while forcibly detained, according to a recently published autopsy report.

Denver District Court Chief Judge Christopher Baumann ordered Thursday that McClain’s autopsy report be published unredacted for the public. 

The report was published Friday afternoon. According to the coroner, McClain’s 2019 cause of death was an overdose of ketamine administered by paramedics.

“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,” said coroner Dr. Stephen Cina.

ELIJAH MCCLAIN DEATH: COLORADO GRAND JURY INDICTS 3 POLICE OFFICERS, 2 PARAMEDICS 

FILE – A makeshift memorial stands at a site across the street from where Elijah McClain was stopped by Aurora, Colo., Police Department officers while walking home, before family members hold a news conference, Friday, July 3, 2020, in Aurora, Colo. Three Aurora Police Department officers have left the force after photographs surfaced of them reenacting the chokehold used on McClain across the road from the memorial, which sits in the shadow of Interstate 225. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
( (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File))

“I believe that Mr. McClain would most likely be alive but for the administration of ketamine,” Cina added.

In September, a Colorado grand jury indicted three officers and two paramedics in the death of Elijah McClain, a black man who was put in a chokehold and injected with a powerful sedative two years ago in suburban Denver. 

Aurora police stopped McClain, a 23-year-old massage therapist, as he walked home from a store on Aug. 24, 2019, after a 911 caller reported a man wearing a ski mask and waving his hands who seemed “sketchy.” 

AURORA, CO - JUNE 27: Elijah McClain protesters close to the Aurora place line at the Aurora Municipal Center June 27, 2020. Elijah McClain died August 30, 2019 several days after a struggle with Aurora police. Elijah became unconscious during the encounter with police August 24, 2019 and had a heart attack while being transported to a hospital. McClain died after being taken off life support. (Photo by Andy Cross/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

AURORA, CO – JUNE 27: Elijah McClain protesters close to the Aurora place line at the Aurora Municipal Center June 27, 2020. Elijah McClain died August 30, 2019 several days after a struggle with Aurora police. Elijah became unconscious during the encounter with police August 24, 2019 and had a heart attack while being transported to a hospital. McClain died after being taken off life support. (Photo by Andy Cross/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)”n”n
( (Photo by Andy Cross/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)”n”n)

Officers put McClain in a chokehold and pinned him down. 

Paramedics injected him with 500 milligrams of ketamine, an amount appropriate for someone 77 pounds heavier than McClain’s 143-pound frame, according to the indictment. He fell unconscious, was pronounced brain-dead at a hospital, and was taken off life support.

AURORA POLICE IN COLORADO QUESTIONED ON USE OF FORCE DURING ELIJAH MCCLAIN PROTEST: REPORT

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 28: A view of BEAR THE TRUTH Protest: A Pop-Up Art Curation of Teddy Bears for Children and Families in honor of #BlackLivesMatter at Los Angeles City Hall on June 28, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Chelsea Guglielmino/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 28: A view of BEAR THE TRUTH Protest: A Pop-Up Art Curation of Teddy Bears for Children and Families in honor of #BlackLivesMatter at Los Angeles City Hall on June 28, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Chelsea Guglielmino/Getty Images)
((Photo by Chelsea Guglielmino/Getty Images))

The city of Aurora has released bodycam footage and the 911 call that preceded the incident.

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In portions of it, McClain, in a sobbing voice, denies having done anything wrong. He tells officers he’s “just different” and can be heard saying, “I can’t breathe, please stop.”

“When we showed up, he was wearing a ski mask,” someone can be heard saying.

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