Photo collage of Christian Glass. See Alt text for more.

When Christian Glass called Police For Help, They Shot Him Six Times:

CONTENT WARNING: The details and videos of this event may be disturbing to some.

June 10, 2022: Christian Glass, from Boulder Colorado, called 911 after his car went off the road near the town of Silver Plume in Clear Creek County, He found himself stranded in the Rocky Mountains, sometime after 11 PM. He nervously told the operator he was very afraid, “coming off of a depression” and said, “I will not be fine on my own”. He continued, “If I got out of the car, I might be in danger”, also telling the operator about some amateur geology tools he had, which included, a hammer, rubber mallet and two knives.

He continued, saying, “I’m not dangerous. I will keep my hands completely visible” and offered to throw the tools out of the car when police arrived. It sounds like Christian Glass was afraid of interacting with law enforcement, and based on some of his other statements to the operator, may have been experiencing a mental health situation. Despite all of the information provided by Christian in the 25 minute call, the 911 operator told police he was “very paranoid”, “not making much sense”, and had “weapons”.

When police arrived, he again offered to throw the tools out of the window, but was told not to do so. Clear Creek Deputy Andrew Buen and his patrol partner, Timothy Collins, were the first on the scene. The officers commanded him to get out of the vehicle but, Christian was afraid to, telling them “I’m scared… I’m really scared”. He then asked officers, “are you going to shoot me if… [inaudible]?” As officers continued to tell him to get out, Christian asked, if he could “hang out” in the vehicle until paramedics arrived.

At gunpoint, he told the officers, “You’re not communicating clearly with me. I don’t understand what’s going on.” The officer mentioned the knives, and Christian offered to throw them out the window again. On the body cam video, what sounds like the spinning of tires can be heard, as Christian repeated, “I can’t go”, seemingly demonstrating that the vehicle was stuck. The deputies immediately became more aggressive, instructed him to remove the keys from the ignition, and deployed stop sticks behind his already immobilized vehicle.

The two officers would soon be joined by others from the Idaho Springs PD, Colorado State patrol and Georgetown police. With Christian’s doors locked, still afraid to exit the vehicle, one officer wielding a firearm asked him why he would not get out. Christian replied, “Sir, I’m terrified”. Multiple officers were pointing their weapons at him, which would likely have that effect on anyone. Christian’s tone in each of his responses was fearful sounding and soft-spoken, not in any way aggressive. Remember, this was a stranded “motorist in distress call”, which usually does not require an army. The 911 operator’s depiction of the call, may have contributed to the militant reaction by police.

The gang of officers attempted to get Christian Glass out of the car for approximately 70 minutes, during which he made a heart with his hands, blew kisses and prayed. According to reports, for the majority of the hour, the scene was calm, with many of the officers standing around and casually chatting and joking. This is certainly not the behavior of someone that felt this fearful, stranded motorist was a threat. Deputy Buen continued to be aggressive, and ultimately, Clear Creek Sheriff’s Sgt. Kyle Gould, authorized the officers to “extract” Christian from his vehicle. At least one report cited something about the mention of wasting man-hours.

At this point in the interaction, it should have been obvious, Christian was likely having a mental health episode. One of the deputies shattered the window and Christian was shot with beanbags. He began to flail in the driver seat when one of the officers yelled, “SOMEONE TASE HIS ASS”. Deputy Buen blasted Christian Glass with his stun gun, and he began screaming hysterically, “Lord hear me”, pleading for mercy from the officers. On the body can video, someone can be heard saying, “you can still save yourself”.

It was not until this point in the incident, after an hour at gunpoint, that Christian was no longer soft-spoken and calm. The look of terror in his eyes is tormenting to see. Seven officers surrounding him, one standing on the hood of his car, were all shouting and pointing their firearms at him. Christian glass began to shout in terror, panic, and finally, act erratically. Who would not, especially someone with an invisible disability, or that was experiencing a mental health crisis.

The hour-long mental battering, and being shouted at instead of listened to, could be likened to; the invisible disability equivalent of kicking someone’s crutches from beneath them, kicking them every time they tried to get up, and still expecting them to walk. Christian Glass, could likely no longer process thoughts correctly. I’d imagine, in his mind, he believed he was about to die.

When Christian turned back towards the deputy holding his door closed, Andrew Buen shot the 22-year-old motorist, firing at least five bullets. One of the officers, presumably Buen, said to another, “… he went for you Williams…Right?”. Deputy Tim Collins, the shooter’s partner, was captured on body cam audio saying, “My God what have we done?”. The lifeless body of Christian was dragged out of the vehicle, and he was pronounced dead on the scene.

In a statement the following day, the Clear Creek sheriff’s department called Mr. Glass “the suspect”, described him as “argumentative and uncooperative”, and accused him of attempting to stab an officer. They also cited the potential of DUI. The coroner ruled it a homicide with the cause of death being multiple gunshot wounds. The evidence suggests that Christian Glass feared police so much, that after he was tasered, he tried to stab himself.

Deputy Andrew Buen and his supervisor, Sgt. Kyle Gould, were subsequently charged for killing Christian. Buen with second-degree murder, official misconduct, and reckless endangerment, and Gould for reckless endangerment and criminally negligent homicide. Sgt. Gould gave the order to forcibly remove Christian Glass from his vehicle. Buen was released on $50,000 bail, while his superior was released on only $2500. The initial proceedings began in December 2022. Interestingly enough, Deputy Buen had already been accused of excessive force in an unrelated $407,000 lawsuit.

Along with Sgt. Kyle Gould, officers on the scene that were charged with “duty to intervene”, for failing to save Christian’s life were: Brittany Morrow, Christa Lloyd, Randy Williams, Mary Harris, and the shooter’s partner, Timothy Collins. All were terminated, but some of already been hired by other law enforcement agencies. Colorado State Trooper Ryan Bennie also faced the same charge.

Randy Williams, the deputy that held Christian’s door closed while Andrew Buen pumped him full of bullets, is currently working as a Georgetown Marshall. Kyle Gould, the sergeant who authorized Andrew Buen to “extract” Christian from his vehicle, pled guilty to his “duty to intervene” charge, in November 2023. He was fired and required to give up his law enforcement license as part of the plea deal. Out of the possible 364 days incarcerated and/or a $1000 fine, he was sentenced to two years probation.

In the case of the primary aggressor and trigger man, Andrew Buen, the prosecuting attorney seemed to understand why so many with invisible disabilities, or MH challenges, fear interactions with aggressive law enforcement. In her closing arguments, Heidi McCollum,5th Judicial District Attorney, highlighted one concern of many with IDs: “So Christian has to be thinking to himself… I did exactly what they told me. I didn’t touch the knife, and now they’re pointing guns at me. I did what they told me to do… No wonder he didn’t trust them. No wonder he was scared”.

Eleven of the twelve jurors, were in favor of a guilty verdict for second-degree murder, but ultimately, Buen was not convicted. He also skirted the charge of “official misconduct”, only being convicted of reckless endangerment. That charge is a a class 2 misdemeanor, punishable by up to 120 days in jail, a $750 fine, or both. Another travesty of justice, involving another murder of an innocent person with a disability of the mind. Uncharacteristically, I have no further comment about the verdict, but would love to read some of your opinions below.

The murder of Christian Glass, who was born in New Zealand, and is also a citizen of the UK, made international headlines. The governments of both countries have asked for answers about this case. In May, 2023, the parents of Christian Glass were awarded the largest known police settlement in the history of Colorado and, as a part of the ruling, Clear Creek County was ordered to have a properly trained crisis response team by the year 2025. Christian’s mom was also allowed to address, and educate law enforcement officers. Because none of the swarm of officers tried to stop this murder, fueled by ignorance and aggression, the $19 million settlement was divided amongst all agencies involved as follows:

• Clear Creek County responsible for $10 million.
• Georgetown responsible for $5 million.
• State of Colorado responsible for $3 million for the Colorado State Patrol officer and two Division of Gaming investigators that stood by and watched.
• Idaho Springs, a department that has victimized others with disabilities, responsible for $1 million.

The historic settlement sends a message, but unfortunately, it won’t bring Christian back. Their ignorance of proper accommodation for people with invisible disabilities, was painfully obvious in police body cam footage. These “public servants” disregarded the distressed motorist part of the call, and rolled in with “suspect weapon” on the brain, and weapons drawn. The “knifes” Christian Glass had, were part of his geology tool kit. I also have knifes that I use to spread butter on my toast. They never asked him what the hammer and knives were for. It doesn’t seem to matter if it’s Elijah McClain with autism, Ethan Saylor with Down syndrome, or Christian Glass, when law enforcement kills one of us, there’s usually little recompense, and even less justice.

Original story by OutOfExile_IDR posted Sep 21, 2023

OutOfExile_IDR™ – © 2024

All writings, images, graphics, logos, and other content by: OutOfExile_IDR™ unless noted otherwise.

All Rights Reserved. No Scraping.

Featured Image (top) – Courtesy of:

Sources:

Christian Glass murder: What we know: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/crime/christian-glass-shooting-colorado-video-b2344279.html

Clear Creek deputy who shot Christian Glass was afraid he would stab an officer: https://www.cpr.org/2022/09/15/clear-creek-county-shooting-update/

Judge: “Clear Creek Deputy intentionally and maliciously caused harm” https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/christian-glass-case-motion-dismiss-denied-clear-creek-deputies/

Body cam footage of the moments before Christian’s death: https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/15/us/clear-creek-county-colorado-police-shooting-investigation/index.html

Deputies fired and indicted: https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/24/us/christian-glass-colorado-clear-creek-officers-police-shooting/index.html

Largest police settlement in Colorado history: https://www.cpr.org/2023/05/23/christian-glass-settlement-what-we-know-about-the-case/

Former deputy Andrew Buen verdict: https://www.cpr.org/2024/04/26/former-clear-creek-deputy-andrew-buen-christian-glass-death-verdict/

Former Sgt. Kyle Gould sentence: https://kdvr.com/news/local/deputy-sentenced-christian-glass-shooting-called-911-for-help/

Settlement announced and other info: https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/23/us/christian-glass-death-colorado-settlements/index.html

The Killing of Christian Glass – Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Christian_Glass

Half of People Killed by Police Have a Disability: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/half-people-killed-police-suffer-mental-disability-report-n538371

https://outofexileidr.vivaldi.net/2024/09/06/when-christian-glass-called-police-for-help-they-shot-him-six-times/

Content Warning: Disability and Police Violence (May be disturbing to some)

On January 12, 2013, 26-year-old Ethan Saylor of New Market Maryland, went to the movies to see “Zero Dark Thirty”, for the second time. After the movie, his caregiver went to bring her car to the front of the theater, while Ethan waited inside. Being his favorite, Ethan snuck back in to watch the movie again, while she was gone.

The theater manager told him that, he would have to buy a ticket, or leave but, he refused. Ethan had Down Syndrome and did not understand, nor did he handle money. Not disturbing anyone, he was watching the movie, when the theater manager summoned mall security to have Ethan removed. His caregiver returned, pleading with the manager and one of the security guards, as she attempted to de-escalate the interaction. She begged with them not to touch Ethan, and requested to speak with him. She was ignored and not allowed to go to Ethan.

The mall security guards that responded, were actually off-duty Frederick County Maryland deputies, moonlighting as security guards. When one of them told Ethan that he had to leave, Ethan again refused, and began to swear in protest. Two other moonlighting deputies came to “assist” in removing Ethan from the theater. The three veteran officers, Lt. Scott Jewell, Sgt. Rich Rochford, and Deputy James Harris, forcibly pulled Ethan out of his seat and tried to handcuff him. As they say, “a struggle ensued”, and Ethan was taken to the ground by the three deputies.

With Ethan on his stomach, at least one eyewitness account cited, one officer had his knee pressing on the man’s back. It also stated that Ethan was heard crying out, “MOMMY, IT HURT!”. At this point, as I wipe the tears from my eyes, I have to ask the question; were these men were stupid, or just callously evil . They were sworn to “serve and protect”. It should have been plainly obvious, that Ethan Saylor was, as some laws word it, a “vulnerable adult” with disabilities.

A few months later, a Frederick News Post story stated:

“Saylor cursed and resisted the deputies, and he was briefly handcuffed with three sets of cuffs linked together, according to the sheriff’s office. Saylor ended up on the floor during the struggle and had a medical emergency. He was taken to Frederick Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the sheriff’s office said.”

The Frederick County Sheriff’s office investigated, and report from the Maryland Atty. Gen.’s office released later, said in part:

“The opinion of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner was that a 25 year old Caucasian male ROBERT ETHAN SAYLOR, died of ASPHYXIA. Down’s Syndrome, Obesity, Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease, and Accessory Conduction Pathways of Heart, are also significant conditions…This individual was already compromised by his Down’s Syndrome, obesity, body habitus, and heart disease, making him more susceptible to sudden death in stressful conditions which would compromise his breathing. Using the medical definition of homicide (but for the actions of other individuals Mr. Saylor would not have died), the manner of death is best certified as HOMICIDE”.

In April of the same year, another news source reported about injuries to Ethan’s face and cartilage in his neck, “which has yet to be explained”:

“The autopsy revealed Saylor had bruises and abrasions on his face and body. And [sic] another injury: a fracture to cartilage in Saylor’s throat. Experts say it’s an unusual injury to see in a choking case. A forensic pathologist not familiar with case [SIC] says the injury happens from some kind of force… It can be seen in a manual strangulation, ” says Dr. John Hunsaker, a forensic pathologist and expert witness. “But in and of itself, one would be difficult to diagnose without more information. And it can occur as a result of a direct blow.”

The use of three sets of handcuffs is a tactic referred to as “hog-tying”, in which the ankles and wrists are restrained and connected to each other with the third. In 1995, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) warned police departments across the country, this tactic could interfere with the ability to breathe, and cause death. This “hog tying” tactic has been banned in N.Y., California and other states, yet many departments still use this method to restrain people.

To be clear in regard to the sheriff’s worded claim of a “medical emergency”, Ethan’s larynx was crushed, and at least one of the sources below, use the words “broken bones” in his neck. Despite the homicide ruling, 17 eyewitness account statements, and Dr. Hunsaker’s statements, a Maryland grand jury refused to indict the deputies for the murder of Ethan Saylor. One of the officers, Sgt. Rich Rochford, was later “quietly hired” by Frederick city Police Department, despite his involvement in the incident.

It seems, I write about these horrific instances of police violence against people with invisible disabilities, all the time. It’s certainly not because I enjoy them, and it is very emotionally taxing to do so. The fact is, situations like this occur so regularly, there’s too many stories to ignore. 50% of people killed by police in the US have a disability, and unfortunately, many people never hear about, or care about stories like this. Many seem too busy fighting about colors or wooden hammers.

How many of you have heard of Ethan Saylor, Christian Glass, or Elijah McClain. I feel that telling their stories to wake people up, is the first step in inspiring them to stand against these recurring injustices, facing the invisibly disabled community. Ethan, is just another tragic example of the senseless, hateful, authoritarian murders of otherwise, innocent people. He was killed over an eight dollar movie theater ticket, to put things in perspective. Stories like Ethan’s, are one of the main reasons I do what I do, and the support for the cause of people with invisible disabilities, is paramount to stop these tragedies. The support is also, very much appreciated.

OutOfExile_IDR™ – © 2024

All images, graphics, logos, and other content by: OutOfExile_IDR™ All Rights Reserved. No Scraping.

The Preventable Death of Ethan Saylor – “Psychology Today”: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/incompetence/201311/the-preventable-death-ethan-saylor

Maryland Grand Jury Refuses To Indict Deputies: https://thesource.com/2014/12/08/md-grand-jury-refuses-indictment-of-cop-who-killed-man-with-down-syndrome-who-wouldnt-leave-movie/

The Trouble with the Robert Ethan Saylor Case: https://www.truthdig.com/articles/the-trouble-with-the-robert-ethan-saylor-case/

Frederick city Maryland police quietly hired cop who killed Ethan Saylor over a movie ticket: https://thefreethoughtproject.com/police-brutality-cop-watch/cop-who-killed-man-with-down-syndrome-over-movie-ticket-quietly-hired-at-neighboring-dept

Deputies Want Lawsuit Dismissed in the Death of a Man in Custody: https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/deputies-want-lawsuit-dismissed-after-man-dies-in-custody/359608620

The Road We’ve Shared: https://theroadweveshared.com/justice-for-ethan/a-brief-summary-of-the-story

Sister of a Man Who Died in Police Custody Continues to Fight for Justice: https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/justice-for-ethan-sister-of-disabled-man-who-died-in-police-custody-continues-fight-for-independent-investigation/

https://outofexileidr.vivaldi.net/2024/08/29/killed-by-police-over-eight-dollars-ethan-saylors-story/

Justice for Elijah McClain – Trial Update for Tuesday–Thursday (Oct 3rd, 4th and 5th):
CW: Police Violence against People with Invisible Disabilities. Photo – eye contact.

Tuesday, Oct 3rd:
The day began with the judge ruling that all witnesses must testify in person, which means, witnesses in Minnesota and Tennessee will be forced to travel to Colorado to give their testimony. Judge Mark Warner also "partially" sustained a request from the defense who wants to ask a witness about McClain's drug use and hospitalization for "LSD intoxication" in 2016.

Dr. Stephen Cina, the "contracted" pathologists who performed the original "undetermined" autopsy on McClain, took the stand during the afternoon session. The account of the autopsy conclusion is details in Elijah's full story, linked below. In September 2022, after the grand jury indictment was handed down, Cina changed the original Adams County corner's 2019 autopsy. Though he amended the cause of death to "ketamine administration following forcible restraint", the (MOD) manner of death remained "undetermined", not "homicide". The doctor also claimed that he asked for body cam footage, witness statements and additional records in 2019 but, claims he "didn't get everything". Samples of McClain's brain, heart and lungs were tested, indicating that portions of the brain swollen which, Dr. Cina attributed to lack of oxygen. He also said the lungs were twice the original size because of inflammation associated with "aspirated vomit".

Emails obtained through an open records request revealed that Adams County coroner Monica Broncucia-Jordan met with the Aurora officers that were investigating the killing of Elijah McClain, before the autopsy's "undetermined" MOD conclusion was reached. Cina also testified that two Aurora investigators were in attendance during the autopsy, while the actions of APD officers were under "review". These two events, in conjunction with the timing of the "undetermined" autopsy findings, are highly questionable. Did these occurrences have influence on Dr. Cina's conclusion? Is this another example of the perversion of justice, by those who facilitate that system?

The witness claimed he change the autopsy after reviewing body camera footage, saying he believes restraint played a role in the death. In his original autopsy, Dr. Cina said, he believed Elijah had recovered from the carotid hold based on his apology after vomiting. He testified that McClain choked on vomit while wearing a mask during the "struggle" with officers, and again after being injected with ketamine. Despite his testimony on the increased size of McClain's lungs, Cina said he's still not sure if the aspiration caused his death. He also testified that Elijah would likely have recovered, "if not for the ketamine". Ultimately, Dr. Cina's testimony seems to indicate, he still can't, or won't make an accurate conclusive decision.

Wednesday, Oct 4th:
The court was dismissed around 11 AM after only two witnesses took the stand. After some legal wrangling with the judge, Ron Ryan an Atty Gen. investigator took the stand. He spoke to the jury about the location of the incident after a map of Elijah's route was admitted into evidence, along with his jacket, shirt, pants, shoes, and earbuds. Ryan's testimony brought attention to a "red substance" found on several of the items. One of Elisha's coworkers at the massage therapy business gave very brief testimony before court was adjourned at approximately 10:51 AM. The prosecution revealed that its final witness of the day would not arrive in Denver until later Wednesday evening.

Thursday, Oct 5th:
The prosecution called forensic pathologist Roger A. Mitchell Jr., the chair of the Department of Pathology at Howard University College of medicine in DC. He was contracted by the office of the Atty Gen to review the case, and subsequently submitted an additional autopsy report for the grand jury's investigation. Mitchell's autopsy reported that, the carotid hold and aspiration of fluid and vomit were a "result" of "forcible restraint" by the officers. He concluded that the actions of the officers and the overdose of ketamine are what killed McClain.

The prosecution introduced autopsy photographs showing "abrasions and scrapes", and played body cam footage from the night of August 24, 2019. Dr. Mitchell said that the abrasions were caused by the carotid hold, and that Elijah's neck showed evidence of "blunt trauma", as well as broken blood vessels in his eyes. This seems to indicate that extreme force was applied to his neck by police. After being shown the body camera footage, the expert witness was asked to give his impressions of when Elijah began to show signs of respiratory distress during the interaction. He also addressed the paramedics diagnosis of "excited delirium".

Dr. Mitchell's testimony provided definitive evidence indicating the culpability of Roedema and Rosenblatt in the murder. The defense interrupted the testimony with numerous objections throughout. The witness said he does not believe in "excited delirium as a medical diagnosis". After viewing the footage, Mitchell also testified in that McClain's actions and condition did not support claims of such a diagnosis. He gave detailed statements about Elijah's actions and statements in the footage including, when he told police that he was was experiencing pain. The doctor said, "… If we believe this notion of excited delirium, one of the things with excited delirium is that you're impervious to pain and that response objectively tells us that he's not impervious to pain, that he's responding to painful stimuli is being placed upon him" [SIC]. With the damning evidence presented thus far, it's not looking good for the two officers being tried for the murder. I'd imagine, this is little consolation for Elijah's mom Sheenen, who was in the courtroom today. Testimony resumes on Friday.

[Correction: With many sources conflicting with one another throughout the course of this case, including discrepancies of Elisha's age, I'd like to clarify a couple of points about my articles. With limited pretrial coverage, some of the court dates for the three trials of the five accused first responders have been changed. I previously reported that the trial for the paramedics was to begin in August, as one source stated. With the multitude of changes, it's been hard to keep up sometimes. I also erroneously describe some of the officers as "former" when in fact, they are suspended without pay. My apologies for these inconsistencies.]

Click below for the full account of what was done to Elijah.
https://kolektiva.social/@OutOfExile_IDR_Voice/110811804572042699

OutOfExile_IDR 2023

#JusticeForElijahMcClain #BLM #DisabilityJustice #SocialJustice #NoJusticeNoPeace #StopKillingUs #ICantBreathe #InvisibleDisabilityRights #PoliceViolence #SayMyName @disabilityjustice @disability @actuallyautistic

"Killed by Police Over Eight Dollars – Ethan Saylor's Story"
CW: Disability and Police Violence (The details may be disturbing to some)

On January 12, 2013, 26-year-old Ethan Saylor of New Market Maryland, went to the movies to see "Zero Dark Thirty" for the second time. After the movie, his caregiver went to bring her car to the front of the theater while Ethan waited inside. Being his favorite movie, Ethan snuck back in to watch the movie again while she was gone.

The theater manager told him that, he would have to buy a ticket or leave but, he refused. Ethan had Down Syndrome and did not understand, nor did he handle money. Not disturbing anyone, he was watching the movie, when the theater manager summoned mall security to have Ethan removed. His caregiver returned, pleading with the manager and one of the deputies attempting to de-escalate the interaction. She begged with them not to touch him and requested to speak to him. She was ignored and not allowed to go to Ethan.

The mall security guards that responded were actually off-duty Frederick County Maryland deputies, moonlighting as security guards. When one of them told Ethan that he had to leave, Ethan again refused and began to swear in protest. Two other moonlighting deputies came to "assist" in removing Ethan from the theater. The three veteran officers, Lt. Scott Jewell, Sgt. Rich Rochford, and Deputy James Harris, forcibly pulled Ethan out of his seat and tried to handcuff him. A struggle ensued and Ethan was taken to the ground by the three deputies.

With Ethan on his stomach, at least one eyewitness account cited that one officer had his knee pressing on the man's back. It also stated that Ethan was heard crying out, "MOMMY, IT HURT!". At this point, I have to ask the question if these men were stupid or just callously evil as I wipe the tears from my eyes. Obviously, that question is rhetorical. It should have been plainly obvious that Ethan Saylor was, as some laws word it, a "vulnerable adult" with disabilities.

A few months later, a Frederick News Post story stated:
“Saylor cursed and resisted the deputies, and he was briefly handcuffed with three sets of cuffs linked together, according to the sheriff’s office. Saylor ended up on the floor during the struggle and had a medical emergency. He was taken to Frederick Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the sheriff’s office said.”

The Frederick County Sheriff's office investigated and later released Maryland Atty. Gen.'s report said in part:
"The opinion of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner was that a 25 year old Caucasian male ROBERT ETHAN SAYLOR, died of ASPHYXIA. Down’s Syndrome, Obesity, Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease, and Accessory Conduction Pathways of Heart, are also significant conditions…This individual was already compromised by his Down’s Syndrome, obesity, body habitus, and heart disease, making him more susceptible to sudden death in stressful conditions which would compromise his breathing. Using the medical definition of homicide (but for the actions of other individuals Mr. Saylor would not have died), the manner of death is best certified as HOMICIDE".

In April, another news source reported about injuries to Ethan's face and cartilage in his neck, "which has yet to be explained":
“The autopsy revealed Saylor had bruises and abrasions on his face and body. And another injury: a fracture to cartilage in Saylor’s throat. Experts say it’s an unusual injury to see in a choking case. A forensic pathologist not familiar with case [SIC] says the injury happens from some kind of force... It can be seen in a manual strangulation, ” says Dr. John Hunsaker, a forensic pathologist and expert witness. “But in and of itself, one would be difficult to diagnose without more information. And it can occur as a result of a direct blow.”

The use of three sets of handcuffs is a tactic referred to as "hog-tying", in which the ankles and wrists are restrained and connected to each other with the third. In 1995, the US DOJ (Department of Justice), warned police departments that people may die when using this hog-tying method, yet there are still many that employ this technique of restraint. To be clear in regard to the sheriff's worded claim of a "medical emergency", Ethan's larynx was crushed and at least one of the sources below use the words "broken bones" in his neck. Despite the homicide ruling, 17 eyewitness account statements and Dr. Hunsaker's statements, a Maryland grand jury refused to indict the deputies for the murder of Ethan Saylor. One of the officers, Sgt. Rich Rochford, was later "quietly hired" by Frederick city Police Department, despite his involvement in the incident.

It seems I write about these horrific instances of police violence against people with invisible disabilities all the time. It's certainly not because I enjoy them, and it is very emotionally taxing to do so. The fact is, situations like this occur so regularly, there's too many stories to ignore. 50% of people killed by police in the US have a disability and unfortunately, many people never hear about, or care about stories like this. Many seem too busy fighting about colors or wooden hammers. How many of you have heard of Ethan Saylor, Christian Glass or Elijah McClain. I feel that telling their stories to wake people up, is the first step in inspiring them to stand against these recurring injustices facing the invisibly disabled community. Ethan is just another tragic example of the senseless, hateful authoritarian murders of otherwise innocent people. He was killed over an eight dollar movie theater ticket, to put things in perspective. This is one of the main reasons I do what I do, and the support for the cause of people with invisible disabilities is very much appreciated.

The Preventable Death of Ethan Saylor – "Psychology Today": https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/incompetence/201311/the-preventable-death-ethan-saylor

Maryland Grand Jury Refuses To Indict Deputies: https://thesource.com/2014/12/08/md-grand-jury-refuses-indictment-of-cop-who-killed-man-with-down-syndrome-who-wouldnt-leave-movie/

The Trouble with the Robert Ethan Saylor Case: https://www.truthdig.com/articles/the-trouble-with-the-robert-ethan-saylor-case/

Frederick city Maryland police quietly hired cop who killed Ethan Saylor over a movie ticket: https://thefreethoughtproject.com/police-brutality-cop-watch/cop-who-killed-man-with-down-syndrome-over-movie-ticket-quietly-hired-at-neighboring-dept

Deputies Want Lawsuit Dismissed in the Death of a Man in Custody: https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/deputies-want-lawsuit-dismissed-after-man-dies-in-custody/359608620

The Road We've Shared: https://theroadweveshared.com/justice-for-ethan/a-brief-summary-of-the-story

Sister of a Man Who Died in Police Custody Continues to Fight for Justice: https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/justice-for-ethan-sister-of-disabled-man-who-died-in-police-custody-continues-fight-for-independent-investigation/

#Disability #DownSyndrome #ICantBreathe #ImJustDifferent #PoliceViolence #NoJusticeNoPeace #StopKillingUs #acab #EndAbleism #SpeakUp
@disabilityjustice @disability