The family of Elijah McClain, the Black man who died in 2019 after an encounter with police officers in Aurora, Colo., has settled a lawsuit with the city.
via: Revolt
Last year, the family filed a civil rights lawsuit over his death in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado. On Monday (Oct. 18), Ryan Luby, deputy director of communications for the City of Aurora, told 9NEWS that an agreement was reached. “The City of Aurora and the family of Elijah McClain reached a settlement agreement in principle over the summer to resolve the lawsuit filed after his tragic death in August 2019,” he said.
“City leaders are prepared to sign the agreement as soon as the family members complete a separate but related allocation process to which the city is not a party,” Luby continued. “Until those issues are resolved and the agreement is in its final form, the parties cannot disclose the settlement terms. No amount was discussed in the recent telephonic court hearing.”
As REVOLT previously reported, McClain died on Aug. 27, 2019, just five days after he went into cardiac arrest following a violent confrontation with Aurora police officers. The 23-year-old was detained after someone reported him as a “suspicious” person, although he was wearing a mask because he was anemic.
The cops grabbed McClain and placed him in a carotid chokehold. Body camera footage captured him pleading with the officers, saying that he was non-violent and couldn’t breathe. Once EMTs arrived, they injected a shot of 500 milligrams of ketamine into McClain, who later suffered a heart attack in the ambulance. He was declared brain dead at the hospital and taken off life support a few days later.
“Nothing will bring back his son Elijah, who he loved dearly, but he is hopeful that this settlement with Aurora, and the criminal charges against the officers and medics who killed Elijah, will allow his family and the community to begin to heal,” Mari Newman, attorney for McClain’s father, told CNN.
Hopefully some reform occurs within the department as well.
