Millions of people have called for Colorado officials to reopen the investigation into the death of Elijah McClain back in August 2019 after he was stopped by Aurora cops who used a carotid hold on him, more commonly known as the chokehold.
A Change.org petition calls on Adams County District Attorney Dave Young, Mayor Mike Coffman and the Aurora Police Department to carry out a “more in-depth investigation” and remove the officers involved from the force.
A spokesperson for the city of Aurora, Michael Bryant, and a police department spokesman, Officer Matthew Longshore, said that the decision to reopen the investigation would have to come from Young’s office.
In February 2020, the Aurora Police Department argued that the force applied to McClain was consistent with training as decided by a Force Review Board.
However, by June 9, Aurora’s interim police chief Vanessa Williams announced that the department would ban carotid pressure holds, which is commonly known as “chokeholds,” and implement four other police changes, effective immediately.
