Elijah McClain, What We Know About the Killing of

Playing violin to kittens

Playing violin to kittens

Playing violin to kittens

Playing violin to kittens

Playing violin to kittens

Playing violin to kittens

What does it take to reopen an investigation into a police-involved death of a young Black man after the district attorney refuses to press criminal charges and the officers have been cleared of any wrongdoing?

Playing violin to kittens

RIP, Elijah McClain

In Aurora, Colo., the answer is millions of people signing an online petition, thousands of calls to local and state elected officials and intense social media pressure compounded by national media coverage. All as the nation erupts in grassroots protests against police brutality and systemic racism.

On Thursday, nearly a year after the death of Elijah McClain who died in police custody, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis appointed a special prosecutor to "determine whether the facts justify criminal charges against members of law enforcement" involved in the arrest.

"Elijah McClain should be alive today, and we owe it to his family to take this step and elevate the pursuit of justice in his name to a statewide concern," Polis said in a statement.

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Colorado Gov. Appoints Special Prosecutor To Reopen Probe Of Elijah McClain Death

Playing violin to kittens

Playing violin to kittens

Playing violin to kittens

RIP, Elijah McClain

Playing violin to kittens

Playing violin to kittens

Playing violin to kittens

Playing violin to kittens

Playing violin to kittens

Playing violin to kittens

Playing violin to kittens

Playing violin to kittens

Playing violin to kittens

Playing violin to kittens

Playing violin to kittens

Playing violin to kittens

last August, police officers in Aurora, Colorado, approached 23-year-old Elijah McClain as he walked home from a convenience store. The Aurora Police Department later said that a 911 caller had reported a “suspicious person” in a ski mask and that when officers confronted McClain — who was not armed and had not committed any kind of crime — he “resisted arrest.” In the 15 minutes that followed, the officers tackled McClain to the ground, put him in a carotid hold, and called first responders, who injected him with ketamine. (Ketamine is a medication mainly used for starting and maintaining anesthesia. It induces a trance-like state while providing pain relief, sedation, and memory loss. Other uses include sedation in intensive care and treatment of pain and depression. He had a heart attack on the way to the hospital and died days later after he was declared brain dead.McClain, meanwhile, can be heard asking the officers to stop, explaining that they started to arrest him as he was “stopping [his] music to listen.” He gasps that he cannot breathe. He tells them his name, says he has ID but no gun, and pleads that his house is “right there.” He sobs, and vomits, and apologizes: “I wasn’t trying to do that,” he says. “I just can’t breathe correctly.” One of the officers can also be heard threatening to set his dog on McClain if he “keep[s] messing around,” and claiming he exhibited an extreme show of strength when officers tried to pin back his arms.