Second paramedic sentenced in Elijah McClain’s death, capping trials that led to 3 convictions

DENVER (KDVR) — The second paramedic convicted in connection to the 2019 death of Elijah McClain was sentenced to four years of probation in an Adams County court on Friday.

Judge Sean Patrick Finn sentenced former Aurora Fire Rescue paramedic Jeremy Cooper to serve four years probation with 14 months of work release, in addition to serving 100 hours of useful public service. Cooper will have until June 7 to submit to the sentence, which the judge said would be enough time to make arrangements and possibly continue his employment.

The judge said before he issued the sentence that it was a difficult case, and said Cooper was “someone who has dedicated his life to helping other people,” but his involvement in a case like “this where a young man died for really no reason” was troubling.

“It didn’t have to happen. It could have turned out much differently,” the judge said before imposing his sentence.

Cooper was found guilty in late December 2023 by an Adams County jury. The jury found that both Cooper and former paramedic Peter Cichuniec were guilty of criminally negligent homicide . Cichuniec was also found guilty of one second-degree assault charge related to unlawfully administering ketamine without consent, and in March was sentenced to five years in the Department of Corrections.

Cooper was additionally found not guilty on two counts of second-degree assault.

Cooper’s sentencing hearing caps a series of trials that stretched over seven months and resulted in the convictions of a police officer and two paramedics. The paramedics’ conviction sent shockwaves through the ranks of EMTs across the nation because of the rarity of criminal charges brought against medical professionals in their role, according to experts.

Attorney General, McClain’s mother weighs in on sentence

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, whose office was behind the prosecution of first responders involved in McClain’s death, offered a statement following the sentencing.

He said the sentencing marks the end of a “very long chapter,” noting that the state appointed his office as special prosecutor close to four years ago.

“With this sentence, we now have accountability for another defendant who failed to act the way the law requires, and we have a measure of justice for Elijah McClain, his family, and loved ones. True justice, however, would be having Elijah alive today. His death was an unnecessary tragedy,” Weiser wrote.

Weiser also echoed the judge, saying there were other things officers and paramedics could have done the night of Aug. 24, 2019.

“We recognize important work around integrity in law enforcement and improving first responders remains to be done, and Elijah McClain’s memory will continue to inspire us to do that work,” Weiser said.

Sheneen McClain, Elijah’s mother, has said justice has not yet been served and planned to speak following the sentencing on Friday. She also gave a victim impact statement to the court before Cooper’s sentence was handed down.

Previously, she said the two acquitted Aurora police officers, as well as other firefighters and police on the scene, were complicit in her 23-year-old son’s murder and that they escaped justice.

“I’m waiting on heaven to hand down everybody’s judgment. Because I know heaven ain’t gonna miss the mark,” she told The Associated Press.

On Friday, Sheneen walked out of the courthouse as she had for the previous trials: Her fist firmly held to the sky.

Case background: Seeking justice in McClain’s death

Cooper’s and Cichuniec’s sentences were garnered by actions taken on the night of Aug. 24, 2019, while responding to a 911 call for a suspicious person.

The person in question was later identified as 23-year-old McClain, a Black man. He died six days after he was stopped and forcibly restrained by Aurora police officers and then injected with an overdose of ketamine, a sedative, by paramedics.

A coroner’s revised statement said McClain died due to ketamine administration following forcible restraint.

Three police officers stood trial for their alleged actions. Two were acquitted and one has since returned to work as a police officer . The third was convicted of criminally negligent homicide and third-degree assault.

That third officer, Randy Roedema, has appealed his October 2023 conviction in the death of McClain. Roedema was the most senior law enforcement member who initially responded to the scene. He was found guilty in a joint trial with former officer Jason Rosenblatt, who was acquitted but was fired from the Aurora Police Department for a related scandal.

Following Cichuniec’s sentencing in March, Aurora Fire Rescue Chief Alec Oughton responded by sharing how the department has changed its policies since McClain’s death.

“I’m deeply concerned and disappointed that our medics, Peter Cichuniec and Jeremy Cooper, have both been convicted of Criminally Negligent Homicide in the trial stemming from the death of Mr. McClain,” Oughton said in March. “While I appreciate the jury’s diligence, integrity and public service to ensure a fair trial, I am discouraged that these paramedics have received felony punishment for following their training and protocols in place at the time and for making discretionary decisions while taking split-second action in a dynamic environment.

Oughton said Aurora Fire has taken several actions to ensure a similar death never occurs again. These include:

• Re-establishing a medical branch within the department to oversee emergency medical procedures and incidents
• Implementing protocols to clarify who is in charge when multiple agencies are at a scene
• Requiring 100% quality-assurance review on all sedative administration and strict adherence to this new protocol
• Implementing citywide protocols to dispatch the appropriate level of care to each call
• Increasing communication and coordination with community groups and residents to gain input on how Aurora Fire can better serve them

This is a developing story. FOX31 reporter Andrea Henderson will provide further details from the courthouse for this sentencing.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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