In Colorado, three police officers and two paramedics have been criminally charged in the death of 23-year-old Elijah McClain in the Denver suburb of Aurora, which prompted nationwide protests. McClain, who was African American, was walking home from a store in August 2019 when someone called 911 to report a “suspicious person,” although he was not suspected of a crime. The three Aurora police officers who answered the call tackled McClain to the ground and placed him in a chokehold as he pleaded for his life, and medical responders who arrived then injected McClain with the powerful sedative ketamine. He suffered a cardiac arrest on the way to the hospital and died several days later. Colorado Attorney General Philip Weiser announced the charges Wednesday.

Attorney General Philip Weiser: “Our goal is to seek justice for Elijah McClain, for his family and friends, and for our state. In so doing, we advance the rule of law and the commitment that everyone is accountable and equal under the law.”