Elijah McClain's Trial: Officers' Actions and Paramedics Blamed for Death

The trial of two Colorado police officers charged in the death of Elijah McClain began with a prosecutor playing body camera footage showing McClain saying "I can't breathe" seven times as he lay handcuffed on the ground. The prosecutor argued that the officers ignored McClain's pleas for help and instead told paramedics that he had been resisting. The paramedics then administered a sedative, which the prosecutor argued was the last thing McClain needed. Both officers have pleaded not guilty to charges of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide. McClain's death in 2019 sparked protests and calls for police reform.