Former deputy to be retried in death of Christian Glass
DENVER (KDVR) — Former Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Deputy Andrew Buen will stand trial a second time after a jury was unable to agree on whether he should be found guilty on two charges stemming from the 2022 death of Christian Glass.
Buen, who shot and killed the 22-year-old, was charged with second-degree murder, official misconduct and reckless endangerment. A jury on Friday only agreed to a guilty charge of reckless endangerment and hung on the others, leaving open the prospect of a new trial.
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Buen appeared in court again on Monday, where a judge ruled he will again stand trial on charges of second-degree murder and official misconduct, and he will not be sentenced on the reckless endangerment conviction until the retrial is complete.
Buen is scheduled to appear for trial again Aug. 12-30, according to court documents, and has a pre-trial conference on July 8.
Confrontation leading to Glass’ death lasted an hour
Glass called 911 for help when his car got stuck on the side of a road in Silver Plume on June 10, 2022. Glass told dispatchers he had potential weapons in his car — knives and a hammer — which his family said he had packed for an amateur geology trip.
The hourlong encounter with police was captured on body-worn cameras, showing multiple law enforcement officers trying to communicate with Glass, shooting him with bean bag rounds and a Taser multiple times. Eventually, Buen fired five shots into the car, killing the unarmed man.
Buen was charged along with former Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Sgt. Kyle Gould, who pleaded guilty to an amended charge of failure to intervene, a misdemeanor, and was sentenced in November 2023 to two years probation with no jail sentence. Gould also agreed to withdraw his Colorado Peace Officer Standards and Training certification and not to work in law enforcement or security in any jurisdiction.
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Buen’s trial seemed to center on whether Glass was a threat to deputies or if he was experiencing a mental health crisis. No one seemed to dispute that Buen was the one to shoot and kill Glass.
Prosecutors argued to the jury during opening arguments that the actions of the former deputy were aggressive, and he was hostile from the moment he arrived on the scene.
Buen’s defense attorney alternatively argued Buen did the best he could do with someone who was not responding to commands and was potentially under the influence of alcohol and drugs. The defense attorney suggested he had multiple weapons in the car at the time.
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The Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office responded to the news of Buen’s second trial with a statement on Monday. The agency noted that while the outcome of that trial is unknown, they have been working to improve the office to “ensure that the events of June 2022 never happen again.”
The agency said it has begun many policy and organizational changes, including a mental health co-responder program, new leadership structure and an overhaul of the department’s policies to see if they comply with law enforcement best practices.
“Our community deserves a Sheriff’s Office that reflects our values in this County,” wrote Clear Creek Sheriff Matthew Harris. “The Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office is not perfect. What happened in June 2022 does not define what we are as an organization and who we are as people.”
Harris said that during his short tenure with the agency, he’s witnessed the bravery of patrol staff and the compassion and humane treatment of inmates.
“I’ve also made a commitment to the public, our commissioners, and most importantly, to the
Glass family to change our operations here. I remain steadfast in fostering a culture of accountability, transparency, and professionalism to earn the public’s trust. Anything less is
unacceptable,” Harris wrote.
Glass family has been present throughout case
During the opening statements of Buen’s trial, Glass’ mother and father sat in the front row of the courtroom to listen to prosecutors and defense attorneys argue about their son. They had previously called Buen’s choice to plead not guilty, forcing the case to go to trial, a “slap in the face.”
“Jesus, are you kidding me? You murdered our son, intentionally, maliciously, and you’ve got the nerve to say not guilty,” Sally Glass has said.
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“He’s as guilty as sin, and we’ve never watched the body cam footage, but he’s as guilty as sin, and just to do this to us and just prolong the agony is just more cruelty, which is the measure of the man,” she said.
In 2023, the Glass family reached a $19 million settlement over their son’s death.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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