Third Officer On Trial for the Death of Elijah McClain Found Not Guilty

Nathan Woodyard was the third police officer to face a jury

Nathan Woodyard, the third Aurora, Colorado police officer to stand trial for the 2019 death of Elijah McClain, was found not guilty Monday.

Woodyard was acquitted of criminally negligent homicide and assault in the death of McClain, an unarmed Black man who died while walking home from a grocery store on Aug. 24, 2019.

"We are respectful of the process in what is a very difficult case," Woodyard's lawyers, Megan Downing and Andrew Ho, said in a statement to ABC News after the verdict. "We have never disregarded the tragic circumstances, but are relieved for what we believe is the just outcome for our client."

Downing did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

"Today’s verdict is not the one we hoped for, but we respect the jury system and accept this outcome. I thank the jurors for serving and performing their civic duty," Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said in a statement Monday.

"We remain undeterred in our pursuit of accountability and justice for Elijah McClain and his family and friends," Weiser later said, in part. "I’m thinking of Sheneen McClain, who has fought hard to keep her son’s memory alive. No mother should go through what she has."

Police officers stopped McClain in connection to a 911 call that reported a suspicious person operating in the area. As the encounter escalated, Woodyard allegedly applied a chokehold on McClain, causing him to briefly lose consciousness.

Prior to Woodyard’s trial, two other officers, Randy Roedema and Jason Rosenblatt, faced a jury in connection to McClain’s death on the same charges. Roedema was found guilty, while Rosenblatt was acquitted.

Related: Elijah McClain: 1 Officer Convicted, 1 Acquitted Over Death of Colo. Black Man

"As a nation, we must be committed to the rule of law. As such, we hold the American judicial process in high regard. We respect the verdict handed down by the jury, and thank the members of the jury for their thoughtful deliberation and service,” Aurora Police Chief Art Acevedo said in a statement after the verdict.

During the trial, Woodyard’s attorneys attempted to shift blame onto paramedics Jeremy Cooper and Peter Cichuniec, who are set to face trial later this month.

Cooper and Cichuniec arrived on the scene after the officers and attempted to sedate McClain by injecting him with ketamine, the indictment alleged. The amount was allegedly appropriate for someone who weighed more than 200 lbs., even though McClain weighed fewer than 150 lbs., according to the indictment.

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McClain suffered cardiac arrest and died several days later.

Woodyard himself took the stand, reported FOX 31, and testified that McClain was grabbing for a gun and believed he was going to be shot. Upon cross-examination by the prosecution, Woodyard admitted if he could go back, he would’ve done things differently.

Related: Judge Rules Police and Medics Involved in Death of Elijah McClain Can Face Criminal Charges

Woodyard is currently suspended by the Aurora Police Department. Rosenblatt was fired months after the incident after allegedly responding “haha” to a text of a photo of three other Aurora police officers reenacting the chokehold, who were also fired, PEOPLE previously reported.

In 2021, the city of Aurora settled a $15 million civil rights lawsuit stemming from the case.

To help combat systemic racism, consider learning from or donating to these organizations:

• Campaign Zero works to end police brutality in America through research-proven strategies.

• ColorofChange.org works to make the government more responsive to racial disparities.

National Cares Mentoring Movement provides social and academic support to help Black youth succeed in college and beyond.

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