Second Police Officer Acquitted in Elijah McClain Death Case, Trial for Paramedics Awaited
Officer Nathan Woodyard, accused of putting Elijah McClain in a neck hold, found not guilty of homicide and manslaughter; trial of two paramedics who administered a lethal ketamine dose set to begin.
- Officer Nathan Woodyard has been acquitted of manslaughter and the homicide of Elijah McClain, following allegations he put McClain in a deadly neck hold.
- Woodyard was the second of three officers to face trial over McClain's death in August 2019; the first trial resulted in one officer being acquitted and another found guilty.
- Despite the acquittals, advocates for police reform and McClain's mother, Sheneen, continue to fight for justice and point to institutional issues in the justice system.
- Paramedics Jeremy Cooper and Lt. Peter Cichuniec, who allegedly administered the lethal dose of ketamine to McClain, are awaiting trial, with jury selection beginning on November 17, 2023.
- The controversial deaths of Elijah McClain and George Floyd have fueled a wave of legislation limiting the use of deadly force by law enforcement officials and certain medical treatments by paramedics.


























