DENVER (AP) — A former Colorado sheriff’s deputy convicted in the shooting death of a 22-year-old man in distress who called 911 for help is set to be sentenced Monday.
In February, jurors found Andrew Buen guilty of criminally negligent homicide in the 2022 death of Christian Glass, which drew national attention and led to changes in how officers are trained to respond to people in mental health crises. Glass’s parents were awarded a $19 million settlement.
Criminally negligent homicide typically carries a sentence ranging from probation up to three years in prison.
Buen, a former deputy in Clear Creek County, was convicted after a second trial. Nearly a year ago, another jury convicted him of misdemeanor reckless endangerment for putting other officers in danger by opening fire. However, jurors could not reach agreement on a murder charge or a charge of official misconduct.
With the support of Glass’ family, prosecutors decided to try Buen again for second-degree murder. Jurors also had the option of convicting him of the less serious charge of criminally negligent homicide.
Prosecutors alleged Buen needlessly escalated a standoff with Glass, who showed signs of a mental health crisis and refused orders to get out of his SUV near Silver Plume, a small, former mining town along Interstate 70 in the Rocky Mountains west of Denver.
The defense argued Buen was legally justified in shooting Glass, who had a knife, to protect a fellow officer.
Convictions of law enforcement officers on more serious charges are rare because experts say jurors tend to give them the benefit of the doubt for how they act in emergencies, experts say.
A police officer and two paramedics convicted in the death of Elijah McClain in Colorado, a Black man whose name became part of the rallying cries for social justice that swept the U.S. in 2020, also were found guilty of criminally negligent homicide in 2023.
One of the paramedics additionally was convicted of second-degree assault, which has a longer prison sentence. A judge later freed him from prison and sentenced him to probation instead.
