Elijah McClain: Petition demanding justice over death of black man detained by police hits two million signatures

The petition demands justice for 23-year-old Elijah McClain
AP
Imogen Braddick25 June 2020

A petition demanding justice for a young black man who died last year after being detained by police in Colorado has been signed by more than two million people.

Elijah McClain, 23, died three days after he was put in a chokehold and sedated by Aurora police after someone reported him for looking "sketchy" because he was wearing a ski mask.

Mr McClain was not armed or suspected of committing a crime when he was stopped on his way home from a convenience store and pinned to the ground by officers on August 24, 2019, where he reportedly started to vomit and sob while handcuffed.

In body-worn footage later released, Mr McClain can be heard telling officers: "Let me go. I am an introvert, please respect my boundaries that I am speaking."

He was then injected with 500 milligrams of ketamine to sedate him.

According to Mr McClain's family, he was anaemic and wore a ski mask to keep his face warm while he was walking.

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In November last year, Adams County prosecutors said it would not be filing any criminal charges against the officers involved, The Sentinel Colorado reports.

The Adam’s County Coroner’s Office could not determine the exact cause of Mr McClain’s death, reports said.

The McClain's family attorney said at the time: "If Aurora thinks this is appropriate policing, the community should be petrified.

"We are disappointed, but not surprised that once again, members of law enforcement will not be held criminally accountable for killing an unarmed black man."

The officers involved were placed on administrative leave, but have reportedly been reinstated.

"Sign this petition to bring justice for Elijah. Demand these officers are taken off duty, and that a more in-depth investigation is held," the petition reads.

The renewed attention on the case comes after the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man who died after a white police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes.

The Change.org petition aims to gather three million signatures to demand justice for Mr McClain.

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