DENVER — Colorado Black leaders on Friday vowed to call on the community to rise in protest once again if state officials fail to defend the previous homicide convictions against two former Aurora paramedics in the 2019 death of Elijah McClain.
The warning, issued by members of the Epitome of Black Excellence and Partnership, came a day after the Colorado Court of Appeals ruled the case against former Aurora paramedics Peter Cichuniec and Jeremy Cooper should be retried in district court. Both paramedics were convicted in December 2023 of criminally negligent homicide in McClain’s death.
“What this system told us yesterday was liberty and justice for all, except Elijah McClain and anyone that looks like him,” said Epitome of Black Excellence and Partnership CEO MiDian Shofner. “What we saw yesterday was the product of the flawed system.”…