The mother of Elijah McClain, Sheneen McClain, grieved as she exited a courtroom in Colorado.

Elijah McClain’s Mother, Sheneen McClain, Walked Out Of The Colorado Courtroom With Tears After Watching The Footage Of The 2019 Fatal Confrontation Between Her Son And Police Officers (Photo: Crime Online)

After viewing the video footage of Elijah McClain being pinned down by police during a fatal 2019 confrontation, which gained attention during nationwide protests against racial discrimination and excessive force in police service, Sheneen McClain, Elijah McClain’s mother left the Colorado courtroom in tears on Friday.

Two Aurora police officers are on trial for manslaughter and other felonies. Police body cameras recorded the incident, and the prosecution is mainly relying on that video to persuade the jury that the use of excessive force was a factor in Elijah McClain’s death.

Elijah McClain is heard saying he can’t breathe on the video before later claiming he is just different. During the incident, Elijah McClain vomited multiple times, and six days later, he passed away in the hospital. 

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On August 24, 2019, Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old black man, suffered a heart attack and passed away six days later in a hospital. 

On August 24, 2019, as Elijah McClain was strolling down the street in Aurora, a suburb of Denver, he was confronted by police. 

Elijah McClain’s family had previously claimed that he was using the mask because of his anemia, which made him prone to the cold.

According to the results of an autopsy, Elijah McClain’s death was caused by difficulties with ketamine injection after being restrained forcibly.

In the courtroom on Friday, Colorado prosecutors started to assemble their case by displaying video from police body cameras. The video has been digitally improved including the brightness of the visuals and the removal of distracting sounds. 

When the footage stopped, Elijah McClain’s mother cried and left the courtroom. She was led into an office down the hallway, and an hour later she came back to witness the testimony.

Sheneen McClain told the Associated Press outside court that she intended to attend every day of the trial to make sure that people would recognize Elijah McClain, her son, as a genuine person.

The two cops, Roedema and Rosenblatt, who are on trial this Friday, have entered a not guilty plea to the felonies of criminally negligent homicide, manslaughter and assault.  

One of the highest settlements by a city in the country was made in August 2019 when Elijah McClain’s mother agreed to a $15 million settlement of her federal civil rights case against the City of Aurora, Colorado regarding the murder of her son.

Following Elijah McClain’s death, there were large scale protests and increased inquiries into emergency personnel’s usage of ketamine. 

Elijah McClain has joined George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Michael Ramos as well-known figures associated with what has been labeled “extreme police brutality.”

There was a campaign to “defund the police” as a result of the fatalities and the protests associated with Black Lives Matter in the US.

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