Am I the only one freaked out that people can legally inject you with a potentially fatal substance against your will?

All five guilty of at least manslaughter. Over-eager power-trip officers. Elijah was covered in bruises. If Elijah hadn’t encountered the officers and paramedics, he would be alive today. The five of them caused his unjust death.

When an innocent man is walking home and gets killed by law enforcement and paramedics, someone needs held accountable. If there was not just cause for the manslaughter charges, there should be a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the individuals and their agencies.

If the boy had not encountered the police officers and the paramedics that night he would have been alive and well today. This says it all.

It should be made illegal for police to turn off their body cameras.

This is one of the saddest ones I've ever heard. My heart breaks for his family and friends. RIP Elijah.

As the mother of an autistic son, this case has always terrified me.

I find it disturbingly sad how often the wrong people live and the wrong people die. Somebody who knows more about Elijah commented here that he used to stop by the animal shelter at night after work and play the violin for the animals.

As a mom of a black special needs child and I know countless parents that have these fears because you won't be there with your child when they may come across police or cruel humans. Just hearing what Elijah was saying has me in tears. Heartbreaking 💔

"I'm just different, that's all. I'm sorry." Poor kid! Rest in peace, Elijah

Two things seem to be lacking in American law enforcement: common sense and decency.

Even IF they're not guilty of murder, they're guilty of lying about what transpired!

Its crazy a first responder can just inject you with the stuff but finding ketamine therapy to help with mental health issues is damn near impossible.

People with perceived authority have the most dangerous ego to contend with

this case tears me to shreds. Elijah didn’t deserve this, no one deserves this. RIP Elijah

The cop said he was being suspicious. How was he suspicious? He was just walking home.

My first thought when the 911 caller said Elijah was making hand motions was that he was listening to music. The police officer escalated the situation. It's like a switch flips in their brains the second you don't do exactly what they say when they say it.

9:37 The officers behaved "badly" in this case? That's quite an understatement, Dr Grande.

I live in Aurora, Colorado and I am ashamed this took place in m city. I am a PharmD (doctor of pharmacy) and I know an injection of 500 mg of ketamine is too much for even a 200 pound person. A hypertensive crisis is at least one possible complication of an overdose. Apparently this young man already had a heart condition. I suspect the ketamine played a role in his death. It seemed he was doing nothing wrong and should have been left alone. I believe these five men caused his death even though it was not their intention. They need to own their over zealous wrongdoing. My heart goes out to Elijah and his loved ones.

How strange that three body cams all fail when needed the most.

Anytime police bodycams are inexplicably OFF, all police testimony needs to be completely dismissed as lies.

The person who made the call made me think that your not in control of anything when you're outside. The injustice of it all

My heart hurts at Elijah's words! So Very Sad!! That Poor Young Man! Devastating!💔💔💔💔

The news of this happening broke my heart. It still does. Just because of the law not finding them all guilty, he was still murdered in my book and most everyone else's. Just a young, frail, peaceful and kind young man walking home from a hard days work. For absolutely no reason he was attacked by over zealous "peace" officers within ten seconds of approaching him with all three of their cameras conveniently turned off.... Whenever he worked late, on his way home he would often stop at the closed for the night animal shelter and play his violin for the appreciative animals. The whole world and surely those animals will miss his heart and the beautiful music he played for them. My heart goes out to his family, RIP my friend.

If a police officer turns off his body cam during a stop he should be automatically guilty. There is NO good reason to turn it off and only if you didnt want someone seeing what you were doing would someone do this. If you followed all procedures youd want that camera on to back up your claims.

It's utterly insane that a group of people can legally retrain and murder you in the USA.

This case always makes me so sad . There is no reason to inject someone with ketamine willy - nilly like that unless there is a severe trauma and even then you have to be careful . The officers were wrong - it was just all wrong .

As a retired paramedic, I agree with you, Dr. Grande. The medics should have done there own assessment. After all, they had to get close enough to him in order to inject him, why not take the time to see if the patient is responding? That was, at the least, lack of good judgment and if they weren't already convicted, their license should have been taken from them.

I'm sorry this is just too much. I can't stop crying for you. I have two autistic grandsons (one named Elijah) and I could not face this.

Im from Colorado and this broke my heart. Poor kid just out trying to live his life. I’m sure he was completely terrified. I can’t imagine the pain his parents must feel. Hope you know you were phenomenal and beautiful Elijah. Happy holidays Dr. G.

His only crime was walking home whilst being black. It's amazing how over the top cops are in the USA. They could have just talked to him as he walked or just let him keep on walking. No one had to die or even be detained physically

My 19 year old grandson is black, and is mildly autistic. He is a very kind, good, gentle person. He is eccentric and I could totally see him wearing a ski mask and jacket in summer - while meaning no harm to anyone. This case is frightening to me - just because you're "different" doesn't mean you're a criminal or doing something bad. That poor young man - he looks like he was a gentle soul.

Elijah McClain, a young man with autism, didn’t deserve this. The caller should be held accountable as well. He was simply walking home from the store listening to music. Nothing more! The police made physical contact with him and elevated the situation.

Such a sad story. Such a cruel world.💔

Thank you. This story deeply bothered me and I pray for justice for Elijah's family.

All the poor guy wanted to do was go home. R.I.P. Elijah 🙏

In my town a Karen called because a mentally challenged adult male looked suspicious using a ATM. Otto Zehm also ended up dead......

It’s the saddest instance of police brutality to my soul. It hurts.

This was Murder. Plain and simple. Power hungry racist bullies trying to find some victim. This case always disgusted me beyond belief. I am so sorry, Elijah! I am so sorry that people are so vile. So very sad :(

That kind of choke hold is extremely dangerous as is the administration of ketamine. Neither one should be allowed. There are too many other alternatives and I don't see why either one was used. I hope the city of Aurora makes changes to their policies and procedures in these areas. The city of Aurora needs to write a big check to the family of Elijah McClain.

It pisses me off that police take a random complaint or concern as evidence and over-cop situations. If there is no evidence of a crime then the cops should switch to peace officer mode and ensure that everyone is ok then leave.

If misestimating his weight by 50 lbs causes a fatal dose, estimation should not be an acceptable way to determine doasage

Elijah..how awful..his crime was being a young black man walking home..I can't believe this in this day and age..his words made me cry..poor sweet love

I always wonder how a person who calls police falsely and causes the death of an innocent person feels in the aftermath.

The term Excited Delirium is used to describe a lot of mysterious deaths in police custody.

I have to disagree with you on this one Doc. He was alive and well before the police, and paramedic, encounter then, shortly thereafter the police encounter, was dead.

Thank you, Dr. Grande for your insightful assessment, but you missed the mark on this one. As the mother of a 6’ 5” tall black man, we spent too much time teaching, encouraging, warning, cajoling and preparing our son in how to interact with law enforcement if he was ever stopped. He even acted in a community play entitied, “What to do When the Police Stop You.” It was sponsored by the NYC Police Departmen during the “Stop and Frisk” era of the 1990s. The system of policing in the USA is intrinsically linked to “slave patrols” of the Jim Crow era and many police officers and those ancillary service providers like EMT, Corrections, are often part of the awful institutionalization of centuries-old racist thinking, when ALL black folks were seen as less than human, “suspicious,” “up to no good,” or simply in the wrong place at the wrong time! This unfortunate and special young man was yet another innocent, unthreatening victim of corrupt thinking and behavior, which continues to steal the lives of too many people who happen to be of darker skin. This 140-lb man’s last pleadings were about supporting and caring about life, and these soul-less devils weren’t even touched by the sweetness of his utterings. Personal liability insurance will reduce the deaths of many. The taxpayers pay for the senseless murders of regular people, and that is another travesty!

I swear I recognise those pair of officers for previous blatantly racist motivated attack on a black civilian. This is appalling, that poor boy, how terrified he must have been, and I can't even begin to imagine what his family are going through. I hope those "police officers" get some serious jail time, if not worse. Disgusting. Thanks for reporting on this 😢

Doc, I don’t know if you have kids, but if your own skinny introverted boy was grabbed by three beefy armed men and slammed to the ground, then injected with a deadly drug you might have a very different idea about their guilt. Skinny kids often wear jackets out of season because they feel embarrassed by their skinniness. Extreme introverts also do the same, as well as wearing hats or in his case a ski mask. I remember a kid who did this in 7th grade. He grew out of it by High School, but maybe some kids don’t. Maybe some don’t live to grow out of it.

Long-time RN, ex-paramedic here: I'm choked up, horrified, and disgusted all at the same time.

This case is so difficult to listen to... Elijah sounds like a really sweet and kind human. He definitely did NOT deserve this. I feel so sad and sorry for Elijah and his family. Thank you for your analysis Dr. Grande, and for bringing these horrible injustices to light. I agree with the State of Colorado, their behavior was egregious. To me, the original responding officer seems to be the initial issue here, inappropriately assessing the situation and going to extremes, which lead to a chain of terrible events ending in an innocent and kind young man's early death. I also agree with Dr. Grande's closing statement.

I always appreciate your honesty sometimes I don’t always agree but it never feels like you’re ever victim blaming or making excuses for the wrong ppl. Keep being awesome.

An Innocent walk home!! Horrible!

As Dr. Grande stated in his closing remarks, the important thing to learn from this case is to NEVER TRUST THE POLICE.

What about the guy who called the police because HE determined someone was acting "suspicious". If he would have just minded his own business none of this would have happened in the first place.

"The lesson here is never trust the police" what a sad statement

Worst cops ever

They gave the officers their jobs back and over 200k in back pay. Unbelievable. Rip Elijah.

Ugh my heart is crushed hearing the words he said and this whole sickening event…

The audio of Elijah apologizing causes me physical pain. I can’t imagine how his mother felt.

Dr Grande, I disagree with you in this case. Typical police over-response to a black man and their feedback led to paramedic over-response. Change must happen

His parents and family and friends did not get justice.

Bad call Dr. Grande. If you were in the jury and had to look at this innocent man's family, would you have thought of that "beyond reasonable doubt " bs? The fact that the state made a mistake or changed the cause of death or whatever; the police weakened the victim's defenses and made him sick, then the paramedics gave the wrong dose of Ketamine after failing to find out what really happened before they arrived. How are any of them not guilty of anything? The dumb a-- police should have been able to see the guy wasn't all the way there mentally in the first place. Plus, why is it a crime to walk down the street with a mask on? Was he holding an arm full of stuff and running, or weaving about and stumbling etc? No, it was the mere fact that the man was black that caused the problem. This is so awful on so many levels that it makes me sick.

Hard disagree. Things looked so sloppy because the state is blaming it on individuals when this is a black op protocol they have an interest in covering up. The kid was doing nothing wrong and ketamine should not be injected in this way.

This was a Horribly sad event! This young man had a TRUE Heart. This young man deserved so much better!

This case is incredibly sad and makes me so angry. Unnecessary force from the police and unprofessional medics. That boy was begging for his life.

Such a beautiful soul. I cannot believe the brutality used against this sweet young man. We need more people like Elijah in this world and more compassion!! My heart aches!! 💔

OMG I’m only in the first 5 minutes of this and already this is so sad-to hear what Elijah said to the police-he sounds so scared and NOT aggressive.. So a person in that town can make a phone call and report someone who looks different , then resulting in that choke hold? I hate those laws!! So glad I don’t live there and I’m an older person-and young ppl don’t find me intimidating or something they do not understand-why didn’t that caller MIND HIS OWN BUSINESS?? This story won’t end well😢

They murdered Elijah, my prayers for his family and friends. This is so sad and heartbreaking. May Elijah RIP🌹🌹🕊️🕊️🌹🌹🙏🏾❤️✝️❤️

There's absolutely no situation the police won't fuck up and escalate somehow...R.I.P Elijah 🔥

7:19 - “These convictions are highly controversial. Many people believe they are not supported by the evidence, and will have a chilling effect on officers and paramedics.” I certainly pray that it does have a chilling effect on them.

I hate this case and the fact that a young man was treated so horribly, then murdered.

The most thug-looking paramedics I think I’ve ever seen. The cops weren’t too much better Lol

Did you talk about how they shared memes and laughed about his death on text messages?

Never go to Colorado. Those schmucks killed him for no reason at all. Poor Elijah. RIP😢

This is the first time I don’t agree with the analysis. They are guilty bc their actions caused the death of someone who wasn’t doing anything wrong. I’m sad about this.

He was an ordinary citizen. The paramedics were incompetent but the police have blame too. They escalated a situation because they didn’t like the way Elijah was acting and taking to them. Hannah Payne got 43 years but some cops who act just like her get no time

Such a sad and cruel story. He couldn't even walk home from the store and mind his own business without being harassed. What exactly was he doing to make the caller think he was being suspicious? Existing?

This case is heartbreaking and normally my heart breaks only for abused animals. Dr. Grande explained the situation eruditely as usual as to the legal requirements necessary to warrant convictions and that in his view they were not met. Still, I'm glad the paramedics and at least one officer were convicted. There has to be a place in there somewhere for common sense. Even going by the letter of the law in the moment, couldn't any of the 5 have acted with common sense? The paramedics in particular had to have known the danger of overdosing Elijah but chose to use a very high weight estimate (190 pounds) anyway. I hope the convictions put people on notice to think before they take extreme measures. Honestly heartbreaking. He was just a kid.

How awful! That poor young man 😢

From an objective standpoint, wearing a mask with a 911 callers description of being sketchy does not meet the level for a detainment, let alone a hands-on seizure of a person. Being suspicious or wearing a mask are not crimes in themselves and no crime was suspected. Masks became the norm essentially in 2019 due to covid. It was the wrong call by PD and it cost the kid his life. They couldve easily maintained sight of him and gotten information from the caller. Sometimes theres not enough to get the bad guys and thats just the way it is. In this case, they shouldve realized it wasnt enough to hold him.

I don’t understand what is going on in this world anymore. I had Ketamine when my lung collapsed. Let me tell you it was a scary trip and I don’t want to ever be given that again. The other Drs were not sure why the dr inflating my lung used it. This was a story I never heard before. Poor kid. 🤠💕

This is just Heartbreaking! My heart is with his Family.🥀🥀🙏🙏💔💔🕊️🕊️ Prayers for Elijah.🥀🥀🥀💔💔💔🕊️🕊️🕊️🙏🙏🙏

This case breaks my heart every time I hear it. 😢

Police should not make diagnosis of excited delirium or anything without medical license

Wish I had skipped this one. Terrifying to know that this can happen to anyone. As a black male, even more so. Behaving “strangely” simply should not incur a death penalty. I implore everyone to please be aware of the possible outcomes when you involve men with guns into any situation. Very sad situation.

bro anyone whose been around ketamine or done it knows that half a gram of ketamine is a ridiculous amount of ketamine. Most people do a bump of at most 60 MG and are so high they cant walk. I have no idea why these paramedics were allowed to administer that much ketamine. That's a really scary amount.

This was a heartbreaking incident, I’d seen the video somewhere, I couldn’t stop crying. So sad

Well, if the cops didn't instigate the situation, then he would not have died right?

Wow. He was alive and walking down the street and they definitely man slaughtered him. As much as I normally enjoy dr grande’s takes he definitely has a blind spot when it comes to police brutality and has eaten up much of the copaganda we are fed in this country. If murder is wrong, then the state should be held accountable when they unalive someone.

When Elijah didn’t act like an obedient slave to the police they decided they wrrr gona “teach him a lesson” typical bully cops.

As a paramedic.ret, we were never allowed to inject anything without orders from a physician. At that without knowing weight and preexisting medical conditions. They were guilty for not doing an assessment.

This case upset me so much when it happened, and I am happy to see there were indeed consequences. Not that it will bring him back. Very sad.

Is this the ONLY time this dude has ever said he doesn't think someone was guilty?

The police are not your friends, and they cannot detain you indefinitely without cause. You’re also not obliged to answer any questions that they ask of you; the best thing to do is request an attorney and ask them why they have detained you, and if you may go.

They murdered him.

Finally Dr Grande is covering disgusting police behavior. You should also cover how the police attacked the candlelight vigil for elijah

Also, as a civilian, don’t trust that the cops will act judiciously if you call them on someone else. Yes, there is ‘see something, say something’ but if you can’t articulate what the actual problem is, don’t assume the police will address it correctly either.

Paramedic here: Aurora FD had/has a past history of using the ED protocol way, way more than other comparable agencies in the area. 2nd, the medics OD'ed the patient with ketamine. The dose is 1mg/kg for ED. Elijah weighed 140 pounds which is 63 kg. Elijah SHOULD have received 63mg of Ketamine (rounded down to 60 or up to 70 for ease of measurement) The bottle we carry has 500mg, enough for initial and subsequent doses. They dosed him with the whole bottle w/o measuring his weight. Coat or no coat, they gave 8 to 9 times the therapeutic dose. 3rd, the medics never assessed the patient. WTF. vital signs including respiratory rate, blood pressure, pulse rate, pulse oximetry and level of consciousness are mandatory assessments BEFORE administering any drug under any situation. It goes w/o saying that they would have to continue this assessment until he was turned over to another provider. There clearly wasn't ongoing care once the Ketamine was administered. Assessment would have caught the respiratory arrest before it turned into cardiac arrest. 4th, FWIW, there is a place in EMS for Ketamine. Analgesia and ED as well as RSI happen everyday in EMS to great effect. 5th, politicians banning the use of Ketamine by EMS makes me wonder what the politicians are smoking. Clearly, they shouldn't meddle in things they know nothing about. EMS has strict physician oversight and clearly, these two doofs were outside of protocol leading to grievous harm. This is an outlying example and will lead to a lack of faith by the public in EMS across the nation.

This breaks my heart. All Elijah was doing, was walking home, minding his own business. Killing a man for absolutely no reason, other than prejudice, contempt, deceit n hubris. The officers acted illegally n unlawfully. The paraamedics were negligent - along for the hoorah. Suspicion is not a crime.