Photo Courtesy of The McClain family
The family of Elijah McClain, the young Black man who died in Aurora, Colorado, while he was in police custody in 2019, announced recently that they had reached a settlement agreement with the city.
“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,” Ryan Luby, the deputy director of Communications and Marketing for Aurora,
told ABC News.Ryan said that city leaders are set to sign the agreement once the details are finalized, with a separate process determining how the settlement proceeds will be divided.
Until then, “the parties cannot disclose the settlement terms,” as of yet, no amount has been discussed, according to Ryan.
“The court will now determine allocation of the proceeds between Ms. McClain, the parent who raised Elijah McClain by herself, and LaWayne Mosley,” attorneys for Elijah’s mother, Sheneen McClain, told the outlet.
Related Story: Investigation Into Elijah McClain’s Death Finds Cops Had No Justification To Stop Him Or Use Force
Mari Newman, a lawyer for Elijah’s father, LaWayne Mosley, also confirmed the news about the settlement.
“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 … will allow his family and the community to begin to heal,” Mari said.
As previously reported, Elijah was a 23-year-old massage therapist native to the city and was confronted by police on August 24 while he was walking home from a convenience store when a 911 caller reported that they saw someone “sketchy.”
Elijah was wearing a ski mask at the time because, according to his family, he was anemic, which is a medical condition that causes people to feel cold at times.
Officers Nathan Woodyard, Jason Rosenblatt, and Randy Roedema proceeded to put him in a carotid chokehold. Paramedics arrived and administered 500 milligrams of ketamine, which gave Elijah a heart attack and ultimately caused his death. Elijah was unarmed at the time of the incident.