Editor’s note: This story was updated to correct the month of Peter Cichuniec’s initial sentencing.
DENVER (KDVR) — Peter Cichuniec, one of the paramedics convicted in the 2019 death of Elijah McClain , has had his sentence reduced.
Cichuniec, along with fellow former Aurora Fire Rescue paramedic Jeremy Cooper, was found guilty in December 2023 of criminally negligent homicide.
Cichuniec was also found guilty of second-degree assault for unlawfully administering ketamine without consent. In March, he received a 5-year sentence in the Colorado Department of Corrections for the second-degree assault charge, to be followed by a three-year parole term. He was also given a one-year concurrent sentence for the criminally negligent homicide charge.
FOX31 obtained court documents showing that on Aug. 22, Cichuniec requested that the court modify and reduce his sentences to “concurrent probationary sentences with no further punitive sanctions.”
On Friday, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser told FOX31 in a statement that Cichuniec’s sentence has been reduced.
“After considering the evidence, a statewide grand jury indicted Cichuniec, and a jury of his peers found him guilty of his criminal acts that led to the death of Elijah McClain. We are disappointed the court reduced his sentence today, but we respect the court’s decision,” Weiser said.
The Colorado Department of Corrections told FOX31 that Cichuniec was released on Friday.
FOX31 has reached out to Cichuniec’s attorney for comment. This article will be updated.
FOX31’s Kasia Kerridge checked in with a civil rights activist who worked to bring justice to McClain’s family.
“The judge gave this guy five years, and now all of a sudden they overturned the five years … That is wrong,” Alvertis Simmons said. “What you said to us is a Black life doesn’t matter. Black life doesn’t matter. That’s not right. All around the world is watching Aurora, Colorado. Look what you do. What are you going to do, Aurora? You going to keep on letting these guys get away with murder? Because that’s what you’re doing. You’re letting them get away with murder.”
What happened to Elijah McClain?
McClain, a 23-year-old Black man, was walking home from a convenience store the night of Aug. 24, 2019, when someone reported him as suspicious and police stopped him. Officers put him in a neck hold and pinned him down while the paramedics injected the sedative ketamine .
He died six days after the incident, and the coroner later determined he died due to ketamine administration after forcible restraint.
Others also convicted in McClain’s death
Cooper, the paramedic who administered the ketamine, was not found guilty on second-degree assault charges and was sentenced to four years of probation for criminally negligent homicide.
Three officers also stood trial for their alleged roles in McClain’s death.
One officer was found guilty of criminally negligent homicide and third-degree assault. The two other officers were acquitted of all charges, and one has returned to work as a police officer .
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