Family seeks answers in fatal Clear County sheriff shooting
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From left: Simon and Sally Glass, parents of Christian Glass, speak to the press in Denver on Sept. 13 after their son’s fatal shooting. Photo: Esteban L. Hernandez/Axios
The parents of a man who was fatally shot in June by a Clear Creek County Sheriff's deputy near Silver Plume, Colorado, are demanding that the officer involved be held accountable.
Driving the news: The family of Christian Glass, 22, is calling attention to his death after the family's lawyers released body-worn camera footage. His mother Sally said she wants the deputy involved to be prosecuted.
What happened: Glass called emergency services on June 10 seeking roadside assistance.
- The newly released video shows responding deputies demanding that Glass step out of the vehicle.
Details: After roughly 70 minutes of negotiating with Glass to get out of the car, a deputy broke his passenger-side window.
- Footage shows Glass picked up a knife after deputies broke his window. He is heard screaming as officers shoot him with bean bag rounds and use Tasers as he's holding the knife.
- Seconds later, a deputy opened fire with a handgun, shooting multiple rounds.
What they're saying: "It was a murder by a Colorado official that cannot stand; it is not right," his father Simon told media on Tuesday alongside lawyers.
- Glass had told 911 operators he had "weapons" inside the car, including two knives and a hammer, but he offered to discard them as soon as law enforcement responded.
Between the lines: The deputy who fatally shot Glass has not been charged.
- The initial release from the Clear County Sheriff's Office on June 11 said the officer involved was placed on administrative leave, and stated the person who was fatally shot attempted to stab a deputy.
Yes, but: Roughly 45 minutes after the officers arrived at the scene, Colorado State Patrol can be heard over radio recordings saying Glass committed "no crime" as he posed no harm to himself or others.
- For that reason, state patrol had no reason to contact him, patrollers say per audio released by the family attorneys.
- Lawyers argue that the responding deputies escalated the situation by acting aggressively toward Glass.
- His parents say their son may have been having a "mental health episode" when he reached out to emergency personnel on June 10.
Of note: The Glass family's lawyers released a condensed and edited version of the body camera footage on Tuesday, though they also added links to raw, unedited footage from June 10 on their website. That footage was obtained by the attorneys from the local district attorney's office.
What to watch: 5th Judicial District Attorney Heidi McCollum said in a release on Tuesday that her office is reviewing the events, and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation is assisting.
- McCollum's office has been in contact with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Colorado, the FBI and the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division over the shooting, according to her office's release.