Two Colorado sheriff’s officers have been charged with the June fatal shooting of Christian Glass, 22, of Boulder. Glass had called for assistance after getting his S.U.V. stranded on a dark mountain road and needed help, according to the prosecution.
The two Clear Creek County sheriff’s deputies, Andrew Buen and Kyle Gould were indicted on Wednesday, according to the district attorney’s office of Heidi McCollum. According to a statement from the Sheriff’s Office, the deputies were fired as a result of the indictment.
According to authorities, Mr Buen was charged with second-degree murder, official misconduct, and reckless endangerment. Mr Gould was accused of reckless endangerment and criminally negligent homicide. Neither deputy’s attorney was included in the statement, and neither could be reached immediately for comment.
According to the prosecution, both individuals received arrest warrants and were scheduled to appear in court in the middle of December. According to the trial, Mr Buen’s bond was set at $50,000 and Mr Gould’s at $2,500.
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After his Honda Pilot became trapped on an embankment on a mountain road close to Silver Plume, a former silver mining area in the Rocky Mountains, about 45 miles west of Denver, Mr Glass contacted 911. He was fatally injured on the evening of June 10.
Approximately six police came to the call and engaged in a lengthy discussion with Mr Glass. Body camera footage shows the officers telling him to put down the knife, then, when he disobeys, striking him with a stun gun and firing beanbag bullets. Sally Glass, Mr Glass’s mother, stated that her son was going through a “mental health episode.”
When Mr Glass attempted to stab one law enforcement officer, the Sheriff’s Office claimed that the officer had “tried to bring the matter to a peaceful settlement.” Siddhartha Rathod and Qusair Mohamedbhai, attorneys for Mr Glass’ family, claimed that the officers had resorted to excessive force. The attorneys made the audio of the 911 call, radio transmissions, and body camera footage from the responding cops available in September.
The information included what transpired after Mr Glass dialled 911. Mr Glass informed a dispatcher that his car was in a “trap,” that he was emerging from a depression, that he was afraid of “skinwalkers,” and that he required assistance. Editor’s Choice What Can I Eat After Thanksgiving Dinner to Calm My Stomach? The Little Dancers in “The Nutcracker” Who Add Sparkle
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When a dispatcher inquired about Mr Glass’s arsenal, Mr Glass replied that he only had knives, a hammer, and a rubber mallet. According to Mr Glass’s family, he was an amateur geologist who used the tools. He assured the operator that he would hold his hands in front of the responding officers.
He acknowledged that the situation was problematic for both of them. He added that he was reluctant to exit the vehicle. The dispatcher notified law enforcement agencies that Mr Glass was “extremely paranoid” and “not making much sense.” Video evidence reveals that while Mr Glass remained inside the car, around a dozen police officers came and nearly surrounded it.
When cops asked him to do so, he refused to unlock the S.U.V., open any windows, or get out. He once gestured with his hands in the form of a heart toward the cops as he turned to face the blocked window. Over an hour of haggling later, a cop broke the S.U.V.’s driver’s side glass and demanded that Mr Glass “drop the knife.” Officers continued to tell Mr Glass to drop the knife while shooting beanbag rounds at him and shocking him with a stun gun.
The cameras reveal that Mr Glass twisted in his seat and swung his arm at the broken window in the direction of the approaching officer. At that point, bullets were fired. Mr Glass suffered six gunshot wounds, according to an autopsy report. The report also stated that amphetamine, which a doctor who talked to The Denver Post said was comparable to treatment for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, was found in Mr Glass’s system along with T.H.C., the main psychoactive component of marijuana.
According to Bruce Snelling, the undersheriff at the time, Mr Buen was first placed on administrative leave following the shooting pending the conclusion of an investigation, and he returned to work in September. According to Undersheriff Snelling, Mr Buen had been a force member for roughly five or six years, most recently working in the patrol section, and had no history of disciplinary actions.
Even though the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office was still looking into the incident on Wednesday, the Clear Creek Sheriff’s Office moved quickly to terminate Mr Buen and Mr Gould after the indictment became public.
Based on the information available at the time of the incident, the initial news release about the shooting does not accurately reflect everything that happened on that terrible night, according to the office’s statement. “While the investigation is still ongoing, preliminary findings show there were policy and procedural failures,” it said.
At a press conference in September, Sally Glass, Mr Glass’s mother, said that her son loved to go on long drives in the mountains, that he was an artist, and that the night he was slain, he was having mental health issues.
He was too afraid to exit his car, she claimed. Mr Glass’s parents were “relieved that appropriate charges have been filed against some of those responsible for the death of their son,” according to the family’s attorneys in a statement in response to the indictment.
The statement added, “However, justice for Christians will demand all those implicated be held accountable.” “Christian’s killing is a stain on every officer who was present and failed to stop the use of unwarranted force and escalation,” the statement reads.