Interim Chief of Police Vanessa Wilson said she was made aware of allegations of photos involving “multiple” officers and all were immediately placed on administrative leave with pay in non-enforcement capacities.
Wilson did not reveal what the photographs’ content. They were alleged to have been taken on the street where the Black 23-year-old McClain was put into a chokehold by three white officers on August 24, 2019, after they received reports of a “suspicious man” wearing a ski mask.
Following an attempt to detain the 23-year-old, first responders injected McClain with ketamine in order to sedate him.
McClain suffered a cardiac arrest on his way to the hospital. He died after being taken off life support on August 30.
His confrontation with Aurora Police attracted worldwide attention and demands for justice several months later in the wake of the killing of Minneapolis man George Floyd.
Wilson has said further details about the investigation, including the photographs themselves, will be released upon its conclusion.
“I immediately ordered Internal Affairs to make this investigation their top priority. This accelerated investigation was completed this evening,” Wilson said.
“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.”
McClain was walking home from a convenience store after purchasing some tea when he was stopped by Aurora Police. His family claim the 23-year-old was wearing a ski mask at the time because he was anemic and it helped to keep him warm.
McClain accused the officers of attempting to arrest him after he tried to stop his music so he could hear what they were telling him. Bodycam footage showed one officer threatening that if McClain keeps “messing around” that he would “bring my dog out and he’s going to bite you.”
One officer then used a carotid control hold on the 23-year-old—a restraint that has been banned by several police forces in the U.S. in the wake of Floyd’s death.
McClain then fell ill after being put in the hold and had vomited by the time paramedics arrived to administer the ketamine.
In November 2019, the Adams County coroner ruled McClain’s cause of death was “undetermined,” but noted several factors including “intense physical exertion and a narrow left coronary artery.”
Nearly four million people have signed a change.org petition demanding that the officers involved be taken off duty and a more in-depth investigation takes place.
The three officers involved in McClain’s death have since been moved to non-enforcement duties. Officers Nathan Woodyard and Jason Rosenblatt were moved to desk duty on June 13, and officer Randy Roedema was reassigned on June 20.
