Officer charged in Elijah McClain’s death says he feared for his life after disputed gun grab

By COLLEEN SLEVIN
Associated Press

DENVER (AP) — A police officer charged with manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide in the 2019 death of Elijah McClain has testified that he put the 23-year-old Black man in a neck hold because he feared for his life. Aurora officer Nathan Woodyard testified Wednesday. He says another officer said McClain grabbed for one of their guns. Prosecutors have refuted that McClain ever tried to grab an officer’s gun. It can’t be seen in body camera footage. The footage is shaky and dark before all the cameras fall off during the ensuing struggle. Woodyard’s lawyers argue he had to react to what he heard.