Oct 18, 2021 - News

Aurora reaches legal settlement with Elijah McClain's family

Sheneen McClain, left, mother of Elijah McClain, speaks during a press conference in 2019. Photo: Andy Cross/The Denver Post via Getty Images

Sheneen McClain, left, mother of Elijah McClain, speaks during a press conference in 2019. Photo: Andy Cross/The Denver Post via Getty Images

The city of Aurora is preparing to pay the family of Elijah McClain as part of the legal settlement of a federal lawsuit related to the 23-year-old's 2019 death at the hands of law enforcement.

Driving the news: His mother, Sheneen McClain, agreed to the terms, her attorneys confirmed in a statement to the Colorado Sun.

  • A city spokesperson confirmed the settlement but refused to disclose the details because the deal is not finalized.

What's next: McClain's mother and biological father, Lawayne Mosley, will go to court to determine how the financial payout will be split.

  • McClain's attorneys are making the case that her client raised her son by herself.

Catch up quick: McClain filed a federal lawsuit in August 2020, a year after her son died when he was stopped by Aurora police and restrained by paramedics who issued ketamine.

  • Elijah McClain, a massage therapist, suffered cardiac arrest and eventually was declared brain dead.
  • The three officers and two paramedics were charged with criminally negligent homicide as part of a 32-count indictment released in September.
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