A judge in Colorado recently modified the five-year prison sentence for paramedic Peter Cichuniec, who was convicted in the death of Elijah McClain, to four years’ probation. McClain, a Black pedestrian, was given a lethal dose of ketamine in 2019 after a confrontation with police. Cichuniec had been found guilty of criminally negligent homicide and second-degree assault, but the judge cited unusual circumstances in reducing his sentence.
Attorney General Philip Weiser argued against the reduced sentence, stating that Cichuniec, as the highest-ranked paramedic on scene, knowingly injected McClain with a lethal dose of ketamine. McClain’s mother also opposed the sentence reduction. A second paramedic involved in the case had previously been sentenced to four years of probation.
Elijah McClain was tackled and injected with ketamine by paramedics after a report of a suspicious person wearing a ski mask, which his family said he wore due to a blood condition. He later died after going into cardiac arrest. The AG expressed disappointment in the modification of Cichuniec’s sentence, given the circumstances of McClain’s death.
Sheneen McClain, Elijah’s mother, has been vocal in calling for accountability for her son’s death, stating that the paramedics had the opportunity to save him. The reduced sentence was possible under a state law that allows for sentence modification after a certain period served in the Department of Corrections. This provision had only been used a few times in the past, making Cichuniec’s reduced sentence a rare occurrence.
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