What to know about Elijah McClain’s death and the criminal trial of two officers

By COLLEEN SLEVIN and MATTHEW BROWN
Associated Press

DENVER (AP) — Defense attorneys for two Denver-area police officers charged in the 2019 killing of Elijah McClain are trying to cast doubt on whether a neck hold by police contributed to his death. Prosecutors say the officers’ excessive force transformed the late-night stop of the Black man into a fatal encounter. But the pathologist who performed the autopsy in the case testified Tuesday that McClain overdosed on ketamine injected by paramedics. Pathologist Stephen Cina says he’s unsure if the neck hold contributed. Criminal charges were brought in 2021 after a national racial reckoning following the murder of George Floyd galvanized criticism over law enforcement abuses against Black people.