An Innocent Breath: The Ketamine, the Carotid, and a Broken System

On a summer night in 2019, Elijah McClain was walking home, his only crime being a young Black man in a ski mask on a cool evening. A "suspicious person" call led to a violent police encounter in Aurora, Colorado, that ended with the 23-year-old massage therapist being rendered unconscious by a carotid hold. Paramedics then administered a powerful sedative, ketamine. He never woke up. This is the story of a life cut tragically short—a gentle, violin-playing soul who harmed no one. The investigation delves into the catastrophic chain of events, the initial lack of accountability, and the global outcry th...