In the case of Elijah McClain, a young African-American man who died in 2019 after being injected with ketamine during his arrest, one of the two first responders involved has been sentenced to 14 months of half-term detention. The paramedic will be allowed to work during the day but must return to prison in the evenings and on weekends during his sentence. He was also given a four-year suspended prison sentence for involuntary manslaughter.
The incident took place in Aurora and sparked controversy over the use of ketamine in arrests. During McClain’s arrest, he was put in a chokehold and injected with the sedative ketamine. Despite claims by the first responders that they were following procedures, the prosecution argued that they did not properly assess McClain’s condition before administering the ketamine.
McClain’s death received media attention after George Floyd’s killing in May 2020, which led to nationwide protests against police brutality. His family stated that he was out to buy an ice tea when he was stopped by police due to wearing ski goggles, which he used to stay warm because of his anemia. The use of ketamine in arrests is controversial and investigations have been launched across multiple states to address this issue.