Peter Cichuniec one of two paramedics convicted of criminally negligent homicide for roles in 23-year-old’s death after police stop
A former Colorado paramedic has been sentenced to five years in prison in the 2019 killing of Elijah McClain after he was stopped by Aurora police.
Peter Cichuniec was one of two paramedics convicted of criminally negligent homicide for their roles in the 23-year-old’s death, which sparked years of protests and changes in the law. A jury also found Cichuniec guilty of second-degree assault. The outcome marks an extremely rare instance of a paramedic being found criminally liable and facing a prison sentence for a death in police custody.
Colorado prosecutors filed charges against Cichuniec, paramedic Jeremy Cooper and three police officers, with cases that dragged on for years. Cichuniec and Cooper were responsible for injecting McClain with a dangerous dose of ketamine, a powerful sedative, as officers held him down.
I’m so conflicted. The cops ordered this. They would have charged him for disobeying. But he also gave a lot of ketamine under sketchy circumstances where he could have claimed a medical reason for refusing. But I know what paramedics make and it’s not enough to weather a legal challenge unscathed.
Nonetheless, Elijah McClain is dead because of his direct action. Being aware of nuance doesn’t help that one little bit.
The paramedic is fully in charge of all medical decisions, full stop. They do not have to follow police direction whatsoever. They cannot be charged for refusing police orders as well.
That’s a lot easier to say when you’re not the one that has to say no to a cop.
I’ve been the one to say no to a cop. It’s important to recognize and take ownership of healthcare, it’s not his license on the line.
They swore an oath to do no harm. They didn’t swear an oath to mindlessly obey anyone with a badge. It actually should be easy.
This is a warning to all other medics. A warning they shouldn’t have needed but here we are.