Third Officer On Trial for the Death of Elijah McClain Found Not Guilty

Nathan Woodyard, the third Aurora, Colorado police officer to stand trial in the 2019 death of Elijah McClain, was found not guilty on Monday.

Woodyard was acquitted of manslaughter and assault charges in the death of McClain, an unarmed black man who died while walking home from a grocery store on August 24, 2019.

Elijah McClain. Courtesy of the McClain family

“We respect the process in this very difficult case,” Woodyard’s attorneys, Megan Downing and Andrew Ho, said in a statement to ABC News after the verdict. “We never discount the tragic circumstances, but we are relieved to have what we believe is the right outcome for our client.”

Downing did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

“Today’s verdict is not what we had hoped for, but we respect the jury system and accept this outcome. I thank the jurors for serving and doing their civic duty,” Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said in a statement Monday.

“We remain steadfast in our pursuit of accountability and justice for Elijah McClain and his family and friends,” Weiser later said in part. “I think of Sheneen McClain, who fought so hard to keep her son’s memory alive. No mother should have to go through what she has.”

Officers stopped McClain in connection with a 911 call reporting a suspicious person operating in the area. As the confrontation escalated, Woodyard allegedly choked McClain, causing him to briefly lose consciousness.

Before Woodyard’s trial, two other officers, Randy Roedema and Jason Rosenblatt, faced a jury in connection with McClain’s death on the same charges. Roedema was found guilty, while Rosenblatt was acquitted.

Elijah McClain: 1 cop convicted, 1 acquitted in Colo. black man’s death.

“As a nation, we must be committed to the rule of law. As such, we hold the American judicial process in high regard. We respect the verdict reached by the jury and thank the members of the jury for their careful deliberation and service,” Aurora Police Chief Art Acevedo said in a statement following the verdict.

During the trial, Woodyard’s lawyers tried to shift the blame to paramedics Jeremy Cooper and Peter Cichuniec, who are due to face trial later this month.

Cooper and Cichuniec arrived at the scene after the officers and attempted to put McClain to sleep by injecting him with ketamine, the indictment states. The amount was allegedly appropriate for someone weighing more than 200 pounds, even though McClain weighed less than 150 pounds, according to the indictment.

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McClain suffered cardiac arrest and died a few days later.

Elijah McClain. GoFundMe

Woodyard testified himself, FOX 31 reported, and testified that McClain grabbed the gun and believed he was going to be shot. Under cross-examination by prosecutors, Woodyard admitted that he might go back and do things differently.

A judge has ruled that police and doctors involved in Elijah McClain’s death could face criminal charges

Woodyard is currently suspended by the Aurora Police Department. Rosenblatt was fired months after the incident after allegedly replying “haha” to the text of a photo of three other Aurora police officers recreating the chokehold, who were also fired, PEOPLE previously reported.

In 2021, the city of Aurora settled a $15 million civil rights lawsuit stemming from the case.

To help fight systemic racism, consider learning from or donating to these organizations:

• Campaign Zero works to end police brutality in America through research-proven strategies.
• ColorofChange.org is working to make the government more responsive to racial disparities.

The National Cares Mentoring Movement provides social and academic support to help Black youth succeed in college and beyond.

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Source: HIS Education