Three Colorado officers have been placed on paid leave after taking inappropriate photos at the memorial for Elijah McClain. According to CBS Denver, the three officers are under investigation for taking the photos — which were reportedly of officers reenacting the chokehold that was used on McClain.
In a statement, the Aurora Police Department’s interim police chief, Vanessa Wilson said, “Thursday afternoon, I was apprised of allegations reported to Internal Affairs by an Aurora Police Officer alleging multiple Aurora Police officers were depicted in photographs near the site where Elijah McClain died. All involved officers were immediately placed on administrative leave with pay in non-enforcement capacities.”
She continued, “I immediately ordered Internal Affairs to make this investigation their top priority. This accelerated investigation was completed this evening. This investigation will be publicly released in its entirety promptly upon its conclusion. This will include reports, photographic evidence obtained, officer’s names, and my final determination which can rise to the level of termination.”
The McClain family released a statement, saying, “Just when we thought the Aurora Police could not be any worse, they somehow find a new low. This is a department where officers tackled an innocent young black man for no reason, inflicted outrageous force – including two carotid chokeholds – for fifteen minutes as he pled for his life, joked when he vomited, and threatened to sic a dog on him for not lying still enough as he was dying."
They continued "They tampered with their body cameras to hide the evidence. They exonerated the killers. They deployed riot police and spewed pepper gas on peaceful protestors [sic] at a vigil of mourners playing the violin. And now this.”
As previously reported, on August 24th, 2019, McClain was stopped on the street after cops received a call about a suspicious person who was wearing a mask. McClain often wore masks because he was always cold due to anemia. He was placed into a chokehold and given a sedative. He suffered cardiac arrested on the way to the hospital and was declared brain dead on August 27th.