Paramedic Who Injected Elijah McClain With Ketamine Avoids Prison; Sentenced To 4 Years Probation

A Colorado judge on Friday sentenced a paramedic convicted in the 2019 death of Elijah McClain to 14 months in a work-release program and four years of probation.

Jeremy Cooper, a former paramedic with Aurora Fire Rescue, was convicted of criminally negligent homicide on December 22 and could have potentially faced a sentence of up to three years in prison. As we previously reported in late December 2023, an Adams County jury found Aurora Fire Rescue paramedics Jeremy Cooper and Peter Cichuniec guilty of criminally negligent homicide. Cichuniec was also found guilty of one second-degree assault charge related to unlawfully administering ketamine without consent. The judge sentenced Cichuniec to five years in prison.

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RELATED: Two Paramedics Found Guilty For The Death Of Elijah McClain

Attorney General Phil Weiser released a written statement following the sentencing of Cichuniec.

“Emergency medical professionals serve honorably every day and save lives. In this case, Mr. Cichuniec disregarded his training and ordered Elijah McClain to receive a deadly dose of a powerful sedative while he was restrained and motionless on the ground, which killed him. A jury found the defendant guilty of criminally negligent homicide and second-degree assault,” the AG wrote.

“No action will bring Elijah back or take away the pain and loss that his mother, Sheneen McClain, continues to experience,” the AG’s statement continued. “But today’s sentence from the court is one of accountability for the defendant’s criminal negligence in the death of Elijah McClain. It sends a strong message that no profession, whether a paramedic, a nurse, a police officer, an elected official, or a CEO should be immune from criminal prosecution for actions that violate the law and harm people.”

RELATED: Aurora, Colorado Agrees To $15 Million Settlement In Elijah McClain’s Death

McClain who was a 23-year-old black man died six days after he was stopped by police and forcibly restrained by Aurora police officers, then injected with an overdose of ketamine, a sedative, by paramedics. Elijah McClain’s mother, Sheneen McClain, spoke before the sentencing and said Cooper “followed the crowd of cowards,” and did not show any remorse for his actions.

“I have already experienced so much and I am sure I still have much more to endure for my son,” she said.

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