Elijah McClain (Courtesy of McClain family)
BRIGHTON — Former Aurora paramedic Jeremy Cooper was sentenced Friday to 14 months of jail with work-release and four years of probation for his role in the killing of Elijah McClain nearly five years ago.
“The life of Elijah McClain mattered, and matters,” District Court Judge Mark Warner said as he imposed the sentence. “It’s almost unthinkable, the way things rolled out and the facts and circumstances in this case.”
Cooper, 49, was convicted of criminally negligent homicide in McClain’s death. He faced up to three years in prison. Work-release programs typically require inmates to spend nights and weekends in jail, but allow them to leave jail on weekdays to go to work.
Warner also ordered Cooper to complete 100 hours of community service. The sentence will begin June 7.
Cooper injected McClain with an overdose of the sedative ketamine after Aurora police officers wrongly detained McClain and put him in a neck hold in August 2019. McClain, a 23-year-old Black man who begged for help and told officers he could not breathe, lost consciousness during the arrest and never recovered. He died days later.
When Cooper spoke during the sentencing in Adams County District court Friday, he addressed his comments directly to McClain, rather than to the judge, which prompted McClain’s mother, Sheneen McClain, to walk out of the courtroom in apparent disgust.
“First I want you to know how sorry I am that I couldn’t save you,” he said, pausing to compose himself as Sheneen McClain and two others left the courtroom. He later added: “Elijah, I’ve heard people suggest I didn’t help you because you were Black. My god, that couldn’t be further from the truth. I did what my training required. I thought I was helping you.”
Sheneen McClain returned to the courtroom minutes after his statement and said Cooper appeared to “find no fault” in his own actions that night, and show no remorse.
“Do not say anything to me, or mention my son’s name in my presence while you enable and support an evil, careless legacy of a delusional mindset,” she said, adding later, “Jeremy Cooper did not check for my son’s pulse. Jeremy Cooper did not conduct a thorough investigation to see if my son was breathing normally. Jeremy Cooper did not interact with my son or ask how my son was doing under the weight of a monster.”
Prosecutor Jason Slothouber told Warner that Cooper was the person “singularly most responsible” for the death of Elijah McClain, and called for a sentence to prison.
Cooper’s many supporters described him as compassionate, kind and stoic during the sentencing hearing. Tarrah Cooper, Jeremy’s wife, said her husband “literally does not have a mean bone in his body,” and that he loved his work as a firefighter paramedic, through which colleagues said he saved many lives.
Tarrah Cooper said her husband came home unnerved and upset after McClain’s death, and was confused about what went wrong.
Cooper was one of three first responders to be convicted of crimes for McClain’s death.
Fellow paramedic Peter Cichuniec was convicted of criminally negligent homicide and assault by drugging, and was sentenced to five years in prison in March. Now-former Aurora police Officer Randy Roedema was convicted of criminally negligent homicide and third-degree assault and sentenced to 14 months in jail with the option for work-release in January.
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Two other Aurora police officers, Jason Rosenblatt and Nathan Woodyard, were acquitted of criminal charges.
McClain had committed no crime and was walking home from a convenience store while wearing a ski mask when he was stopped by officers after someone called 911 and said he appeared to be acting strange.
His death prompted thousands of people to take to the streets and protest police brutality during the summer of 2020, led the city of Aurora to pay a $15 million settlement to McClain’s parents, gave rise to court-ordered reform within the Aurora Police Department and spurred changes to state law and police training around the use of ketamine.
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