In a development related to the 2019 death of Elijah McClain, a former paramedic, Jeremy Cooper, has been sentenced to probation after being found guilty of criminally negligent homicide.
Jeremy Cooper, one of the paramedics involved in the case, was sentenced to four years of probation and 14 months in a work release program. This verdict follows his conviction for administering the sedative ketamine to McClain before his demise.
Cooper faced the possibility of three years in prison but received probation instead. His role in administering the fatal dose of ketamine to McClain was a central focus of the trial.
Alongside Cooper, another former paramedic, Peter Cichuniec, was also found guilty of criminally negligent homicide. Cichuniec received a sentence of five years in prison in addition to three years of parole.
Both paramedics faced charges of reckless manslaughter and second-degree assault, but the jury acquitted them of these charges.
Elijah McClain, 23 at the time, was stopped by police on his way home from a convenience store in 2019. The encounter escalated, with McClain being placed in a neck hold and later injected with ketamine by the paramedics.
Prosecutors argued that the paramedics failed to conduct adequate medical checks before administering the ketamine. Medical experts testified that the dosage given to McClain, who weighed 140 pounds, was excessive.
McClain’s death occurred six days after the incident, with the coroner attributing it to ketamine administration following forcible restraint.
The sentencing of the paramedics marks a significant development in the case surrounding Elijah McClain’s tragic death.