Photo courtesy of Instagram.
The family of Elijah McClain settled their civil lawsuit against the city of Aurora and will be paid $15 million for McClain’s murder. Elijah was 23-years-old when he died on Aug. 30, 2019.
Ryan Luby, Aurora’s deputy director of communications, confirmed the city had settled.
“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,” Luby said.
Aurora police officers stopped McClain walking home from a convenience store on Aug. 24. He was
wearing a mask due to anemia and carrying the ice tea he had just paid for. The police stopped Elijah after someone called 911 and reported someone in the area that looked sketchy.The police used an illegal carotid chokehold on McClain that restricted his carotid artery and cut off the blood to his brain. Elijah apologized and begged for them to stop. He also vomited and cried out due to the pain the officers inflicted on him and tried to explain himself.
The Aurora police officer’s actions were so heinous an ambulance needed to be called. When the paramedics arrived, they shot Elijah with 500 milligrams of ketamine, causing Elijah to have a heart attack. He died on Aug. 30 after his physicians pronounced him brain dead, and he was removed from life support.
Even so, the Aurora Police Association Board of Directors defended the murderers and said there was no evidence that they were responsible for Elijah’s death. They also called seeking justice a “hysterical overreaction.”
“There is no evidence that APD officers caused his death,” said the statement. “The hysterical overreaction to this case has severely damaged the police department.”
The settlement is the highest in Colorado’s history, which is no comfort to anyone.
Representatives for Sheneen McClain, Elijah’s mom, told CBS4 Denver that she’s thankful for everyone in the community for the love, commitment and support and hopes that her son’s death will lead to meaningful police reform and spare other families such pain.
“While nothing will fill that void, Ms. McClain is hopeful that badly needed reforms to the Aurora Police Department will spare other parents the same heartache,” the statement continues.
The settlement will be split between McClain’s parents.