Mary Pintea – Staff Writer

mpv5879@psu.edu

On September 23, autopsy reports of 23-year-old Elijah McClain were publicly released, citing
ketamine overdose as his cause of death.
The original autopsy report, released several months after his passing, stated that there was not
enough evidence to determine how McClain died. After a grand jury testimony, the autopsy was
amended to reexamine the case. During these proceedings, McClain’s death came under greater
scrutiny when Colorado Public radio disclosed that the county coroner had met with police prior
to the autopsy and that police investigators were present during the examination.
McClain was arrested on August 24, 2019 after a call was made to the police claiming that there
was a “sketchy” man walking around the street in a ski mask and flailing his arms. The caller
stated that the man did not appear to pose any threat. In interviews after the incident, McClain’s
friends speculated that his arm-flailing was most likely dancing, as he often listened to music
while walking. They also stated that he dressed warmly due to a blood circulation disorder that
caused him to chill easily, which was why he was wearing a ski mask.
According to the police report, McClain resisted when confronted by officers Randy Roedema
and Nathan Woodyard. Roedema then called out to Woodyard, shouting, “he is going for your
gun.” Officers responded by slamming McClain into a wall. All officers at the scene state that
their cameras had fallen off, making it unclear as to whether McClain did reach for a weapon.
The police officers held McClain on the ground for 15 minutes, with McClain yelling “I can’t
breathe.” He proceeded to vomit several times, even apologizing, “I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to
do that, I can’t breathe correctly.” While his arms were handcuffed behind his back, Woodyard
put McClain into a carotid control hold, cutting off blood flow to the brain. One officer then
threatened to let his police dog bite McClain as he laid on the ground.
At one point, three officers were on top of McClain, who was only 5 feet 6 inches and weighed
140 pounds. They claimed that he was “acting crazy” and that he had attacked them with
“incredible, crazy strength” before they restrained him. Without speaking to him first,
paramedics injected him with 500 mg of ketamine, a dose too strong for a 200-pound person, let
alone one that is 140 pounds. On the ambulance ride, McClain did not have a pulse. He was
pronounced brain dead three days later, on August 27, 2019.
In the first autopsy, the coroner stated that McClain’s “physical exertion” was the likely cause of
death, but could have been related to the carotid control hold he was placed in. As the current
autopsy has concluded, it is likely the dose of ketamine is what killed him.

His case was brought to light shortly after the death of George Floyd, but his family continues to
fight to this day. Family and friends regarded him as the sweetest, gentlest person to exist.
McClain’s mother, Sheneen, remembers her son as a talented, fiercely independent man. She has
dedicated her life to fighting for her son’s name, making sure that people remember who he was.