More Than 1.8M People Sign 'Justice For Elijah McClain' Petition

AURORA, CO — More than 1.8 million people have signed a petition calling for the reopening of an investigation into the death of 23-year-old Elijah McClain, who suffered a heart attack after Aurora police officers held him on the ground for 15 minutes and paramedics sedated him.

The petition calls on the city of Aurora, Adams County and law enforcement agencies to remove the officers who held McClain in a chokehold and to conduct "a more in-depth" investigation, petition organizers said.

On Aug. 24, 2019, McClain was walking home from a store at night and wearing a ski mask because he was anemic and needed to keep warm, his family said. Someone called Aurora police and reported seeing a "suspicious man," and officers arrived.

Police said they told him to stop and he didn't stop, and then officers tried to physically stop him. McClain was placed in a chokehold and held on the ground for 15 minutes, officials confirmed. Aurora paramedics were called to assist and injected McClain with ketamine. He went into cardiac arrest on the way to the hospital and fell into a coma, and later died.

Mari Newman, the lawyer for the McClain family, said the 23-year-old was vomiting while he was on the ground, and saying "I can't breathe." She said an officer then threatened to call in "a dog to bite" McClain if he moved again, according to the petition.

Earlier this month, the Aurora Police Department announced it's banning carotid pressure holds, and creating a duty for officers to intervene if they believe colleagues are violating department policy. The department's policy on suspicious person calls was also changed — officers are not required to make contact with someone who has been reported as suspicious, but rather observe them to see if a crime is being committed.

After the policy changes were announced, Aurora Police Department Interim Chief Vanessa Wilson said the department recognizes that Black people are reported as suspicious at higher rates than other races. She said that "no one should ever be considered suspicious based on the color of their skin."

An autopsy revealed inconclusive results about McClain's cause of death, and after an investigation was conducted, the officers who held him down were not charged.

McClain's family launched a fundraiser to help pay for his memorial and legal expenses.

His family and friends have posted hundreds of messages on social media that describe McClain as an "amazing and beautiful" person, who was "quirky" and used to take his violin to animal shelters to play for cats and dogs because he was worried they were lonely. He worked as a massage therapist in Aurora and was known for making people smile, his friends and family said.

View the 'Justice for Elijah McClain' petition here.