Nathan Woodyard, 34, is charged with reckless manslaughter and a lesser included count of criminally negligent homicide in Elijah McClain’s 2019 death.
Aurora police Officer Nathan Woodyard, center, answers questions from Judge Mark Warner standing next to lawyers Andrew Ho, left, and Megan Downing, right, during an arraignment in the Adams County district court at the Adams County Justice Center January 20, 2023.
The officers did call for paramedics, and Aurora paramedics Jeremy Cooper and Peter Cichuniec injected McClain with a dose of ketamine. McClain suffered cardiac arrest on the way to the hospital, where he was later declared brain dead. He died Aug. 30, 2019. She said Woodyard unnecessarily escalated the encounter by using force on McClain within eight seconds instead of listening to what he was saying.
“He doesn’t get to know whether it’s Elijah McClain walking home with iced tea, or James Holmes walking into a movie theater,” Downing told jurors, referring to the killer in the Aurora theater massacre — and drawing an objection from prosecutors that was sustained. Joyce cast Woodyard’s choice to walk away as “abandoning” McClain, and said it shows how far he strayed from his training on how to care for a suspect after a carotid hold. She also showed“Elijah McClain was his responsibility,” Joyce said. “He’s the officer who chose to use the carotid hold. He’s the one who should be at his side.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Elijah McClain case: Trial for third Aurora officer — Nathan Woodyard — begins Tuesday with opening statementsStephanie Butzer joined the Denver7 team as a digital producer in June 2018 and is now the senior digital producer.
Read more »
Jury seated for 2nd trial in death of Elijah McClainJury selection is scheduled to start Friday in the trial of Nathan Woodyard, the first patrol officer to confront McClain.
Read more »
Opening statements to begin Tuesday in trail against third officer charged in Elijah McClain’s deathÓscar A. Contreras is a Murrow-nominated journalist who has been writing for the E.W. Scripps Company since January 2014.
Read more »
What to know about Elijah McClain's death and the cases against police and paramedicsOpening statements are set to start in the trial of a third police officer charged in the death of a Black man who was confronted by police as he was walking home in suburban Denver in 2019
Read more »
What to know about Elijah McClain's death and the cases against police and paramedicsOpening statements are set to start in the trial of a third police officer charged in the death of a Black man who was confronted by police as he was walking home in suburban Denver in 2019.
Read more »
Column: With waiting list growing, Hesed House in Aurora anxious to begin long-delayed expansion projectHesed House Executive Director Joe Jackson describes homelessness as a 'dire situation,' but vows to 'do all we can' to continue fighting this growing problem.
Read more »