Former sheriff's deputy convicted of misdemeanor in shooting death of Christian Glass

DENVER -- A erstwhile Colorado sheriff’s lawman was convicted of a misdemeanor connected Friday successful the shooting decease of a 22-year-old antheral successful distress who had called 911 for assistance aft his car got stuck successful a tiny upland community.

Andrew Buen was besides charged with second-degree execution and authoritative misconduct successful the 2022 decease of Christian Glass, which drew nationalist attraction and prompted calls for constabulary betterment focused connected situation intervention. But jurors could not scope a verdict connected those charges and lone recovered him blameworthy of reckless endangerment, which is typically punished by a maximum 4 months successful jail, The Denver Post reported.

A second-degree execution condemnation would person carried a condemnation of years successful prison.

Prosecutors alleged that Buen needlessly escalated a standoff with Glass, who exhibited signs of a intelligence wellness crisis. But the defence said Buen changeable Glass to support a chap officer, which made the shooting legally justified.

A 2nd serviceman indicted successful Glass’ decease antecedently pleaded blameworthy to a misdemeanor. Six different officers person been charged with failing to intervene.

District Attorney Heidi McCollum inactive has the enactment of pursuing the charges against Buen for execution and authoritative misconduct. She said Friday she expects to marque a determination successful the adjacent mates of weeks.

An lawyer for the Glass household said the household would similar the prosecution continue.

"The assemblage recovered Deputy Buen’s behaviour to beryllium criminal,” Siddharta Rathod said. “The assemblage recovered Deputy Buen blameworthy of reckless endangerment. And it is 1 measurement person to getting justness for Christian. Deputy Buen volition reface a assemblage of his peers.”

Glass called for assistance aft his SUV became stuck connected a ungraded roadworthy successful Silver Plume. He told a dispatcher helium was being followed and made different statements suggesting helium was paranoid, hallucinating oregon delusional, and experiencing a intelligence wellness crisis, according to Buen's indictment.

When Buen and different officers arrived, Glass refused to get retired of his vehicle. Officers’ assemblage camera footage showed Glass making bosom shapes with his hands to the officers and praying: “Dear Lord, please, don’t fto them interruption the window.”

In closing arguments connected Wednesday, prosecutors said Buen decided from the commencement that Glass needed to get retired of the conveyance and shouted commands astatine him 46 times implicit astir 10 minutes. The prosecution contends Buen did not person immoderate ineligible justification to unit Glass out, not adjacent if it was a suspected lawsuit of driving nether the influence.

They fired legume container rounds and shocked him with a Taser, but those attempts failed to marque Glass exit. He past took a weapon helium had offered to surrender astatine the opening of the brushwood and flung it retired a rear window, which was breached by a legume bag, toward different officer, Randy Williams, according to the indictment. At that point, Buen fired 5 times astatine Glass.

Glass conscionable reacted aft being treated “like an carnal successful a cage being poked and prodded,” and the weapon ne'er touched Williams, District Attorney Heidi McCollum told jurors successful closing arguments successful Idaho Springs.

Defense lawyer Carrie Slinkard faulted prosecutors for not looking into whether Glass had behavioral oregon intelligence issues that could explicate his behavior, whether drugs had played a role, oregon whether some factors could person contributed.

Glass’ mother, Sally Glass, has antecedently said her lad has slump and had precocious been diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. She said helium was “having a intelligence wellness episode” during his enactment with the police.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Stephen Potts, who described Glass arsenic a “terrified boy,” said it did not substance what prompted the crisis.

“He was successful a situation of immoderate kind," helium said. "Is this however we expect radical successful situation to beryllium treated?”