Paramedic Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Death of Elijah McClain

Mr. McClain died after the paramedic injected him with a sedative at a higher dose than required.

Paramedics Peter Cichuniec (back L) and Jeremy Cooper (3rd R) enter the Adams County Justice Center in Brighton, Colo., on Dec. 22, 2023. David Zalubowski/AP Photo

A paramedic involved in the death of Elijah McClain has been sentenced to five years in prison, with the defendant claiming he had “absolutely no intent to cause any harm” to the victim.

Mr. McClain, 23, died in 2019 when Peter Cichuniec and a fellow paramedic injected him with more ketamine than required after he was forcibly restrained by police officers in the Denver suburb of Aurora, Colorado. Ketamine is a powerful sedative.