Paramedic sentenced to five years in death of Elijah McClain

A Colorado paramedic convicted in 2019 in the death of Elijah McClain, a young Black man whose case helped transform the nation’s police force, was sentenced Friday to five years in prison.

The case involved a rare criminal prosecution of emergency medical personnel and sparked outrage among paramedics and firefighters across the country, who worry that emergency decisions made in the course of their work could be criminalized.

Peter Cichuniec, 51, a former lieutenant with Aurora Fire Rescue, was convicted in December of negligent homicide and second-degree assault for unlawfully administering drugs. He was one of five police officers and paramedics prosecuted in state court over three consecutive trials. A second paramedic and a police officer were also convicted. In January, Randy Roedema, 41, then a lieutenant with the Aurora Police Department, was sentenced to 14 months in prison. Jeremy Cooper, the paramedic working with Mr Cichuniec, is expected to be sentenced in April.

This is a development story. Check back for updates.