AURORA – The City of Aurora is now facing a new lawsuit about how police responded to protests over the death of 23-year-old Elijah McClain. The suit was filed in a U.S. District Court in Denver. It accuses the Aurora police of overreacting during a June 27th, protest by deploying officers in riot gear and using tear gas and pepper spray to disperse the crowd.
The lawsuit seeks a judge’s order to stop police from using any chemical agents and firing projectiles into crowds. It would also require all officer’s body cameras to remain on at all times during protests.
Last August, McClain was walking home from a store when he was confronted by police. The Aurora police department later claimed that a 911 caller contacted them and reported a suspicious-looking person in a ski mask in the area. When officers approached the 23-year-old who was not armed, they claimed he resisted arrest. McClain was tackled and put in a chokehold. Officers called emergency responders and they injected him with Ketamine. He had a heart attack on the way to a hospital and died days later.
