A jury on Monday found Aurora, Colorado, officer Nathan Woodyard not guilty in the 2019 death of Elijah McClain. Woodyard put the 23-year-old black man in a chokehold that rendered him temporarily unconscious.
Woodyard was the first officer to confront McClain as he was walking home from a convenience store in the Denver suburb of Aurora, Colorado. Prosecutors argued Woodyard grabbed McClain within eight seconds of stepping out of his patrol car, failing to introduce himself or explain why he was being stopped.
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In August 2019, McClain was on his way home when a passerby called 911 and reported McClain was acting “sketchy.” He was confronted by Aurora police officers, placed in a chokehold, and tackled to the ground, telling officers he was unable to breathe. Later, paramedics injected McClain with a powerful sedative, ke …