DEMANDS FOR JUSTICE

Colorado Attorney General Opens Grand Jury Investigation Into Elijah McClain’s Death

Elijah McClain, 23, was unarmed when he was stopped by police, who used a now-banned chokehold on him.

The Colorado Attorney General’s office is opening a grand jury investigation into the death of 23-year-old Elijah McClain, who died in August 2019 after cops used a now-banned chokehold on him. “Our investigation will be thorough, guided by the facts and law, and worthy of the public’s trust,” state Attorney general Phil Weiser wrote in a statement. Demands for justice for McClain grew last summer as Black Lives Matter protests took place across the country. McClain was wearing a ski mask on the night he was wrongfully apprehended because of his anemia, which made him feel cold easily. Someone reported a suspicious person to police, and three officers made an attempt to stop McClain as he walked home from a convenient store. McClain was heard telling the cops that he was an introvert and asking them to respect his space before officers put him in an extended chokehold, gave him a sedative, and put him into an ambulance, where he suffered a heart attack and died.