The Boulder County District Attorney has charged a paramedic with manslaughter in the death of Jesus Lopez Barcenas, who was arrested last December at CU Boulder’s Center for Innovation & Creativity, according to a decision letter released on July 11.
Barcenas, 36, died two days after the arrest from sudden cardiac arrest. Contributing factors included his struggle with police, prone positioning, restraints, a sedative injection and the toxic effects of methamphetamine, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
On Dec. 27, 2024, police responded to a report of a “suspicious person.” According to investigators, Barcenas resisted arrest and tried to grab one of their guns. Officers forced him to the ground and held him in a face-down position on a concrete ramp.
Paramedic Edward McClure injected Barcenas with Droperidol without consulting officers, according to the letter. He then helped strap Barcenas, still handcuffed, face down on a gurney. McClure was heard stating, “Just keep him face down. I don’t care,” and “Let’s strap the crap out of him.” American Medical Response (AMR) fired McClure for violating several policies, according to the letter.
The DA did not charge the CU Boulder police officers or the two City of Boulder police officers involved in the incident. The decision followed an investigation by the Boulder County Critical Incident Team, which included witness interviews and body camera footage.
“The reckless acts of the paramedic led to the untimely and tragic death of Mr. Barcenas,” District Attorney Michael Dougherty said in a July 11 news release. “Our prosecution team will fight hard to secure the right outcome in this criminal prosecution, particularly for the loving family of Mr. Barcenas and for this community.”
Guess we’ll have to take the DA’s word for it, as the city still has a dubious policy in place about releasing this footage to the public/media as they litigate accountability by through the egregious “fees” that can be charged for access this footage (you know…from the body cams our tax dollars pay for). As just because this person didn’t suffocate on the sidewalk like George Floyd, doesn’t necessarily absolve the numerous officers on-scene from also acting recklessly and complicit in allowing excessive restraint that contributed to a fatality. Hoping the all-civilian Oversight Panel looks into this as well, maybe after some anon community requests to do so. Because there’s an old saying that extends to policing most of all…Trust, but Verify
We have all seen the effects of positional hypoxia in patients. the international association of police chiefs has said as far back as 1995 that prone positioning in bad for the subjects. EMS professionals need to Care for every patient and provide the best care they can. Being human is a choice.
Being human is not a choice. Behaving and acting in a humane manner is.