On Monday this week, Aurora City Council paused the use of ketamine until an investigation into the death of Elijah McClain is complete.
McClain, a 23-year-old African-American massage therapist from Aurora, Colorado, was violently detained by police last year and injected with the powerful sedative. According to the Adams County coroner, it is unclear what exactly caused McClain to go into cardiac arrest.
In a recent interview with CBS Denver, defense attorney Jeffrey Wolf condemned the use of ketamine by emergency responders.
“It’s something that should stop being used altogether,” said Wolf. “Any doctor will tell you that you don’t give someone a medication as severe as ketamine without knowing what else could be on board or what other conditions they might have.”
