Elijah, a 23-year-old Black man, was killed in August of last year, after Aurora, Colorado, officers used a carotid control hold while responding to a call about a “suspicious person.” His death received renewed attention in the wake of George Floyd’s death and his mother, Sheneen McClain, is hoping to start a foundation for her son.
Sheneen started the GoFundMe in August 2019 while her son was still on life support at the hospital to help take care of him once he was released to her. Contributions were then intended to be used for his burial and on January 29, she posted that she would start a foundation for Elijah “because something else good has to grow from his ashes.”
As of Thursday morning, the GoFundMe raised $1,309,160 of its $5 million goal and the contributions continued to come in. Sheneen thanked everyone for their renewed energy to fight for Elijah’s justice in a comment on the GoFundMe and encouraged people to stand together to create change.
Along with raising money for his family, there was widespread support for a Change.org petition that called for a “more in-depth investigation” into Elija’s death. It gathered more than 2 million signatures and on Wednesday, Colorado Governor Jared Polis announced his legal council would examine “what the state can do” and assess “next steps.”
“Public confidence in our law enforcement process is incredibly important now more than ever,” Polis posted on Twitter. “A fair and objective process free from real or perceived bias for investigating officer-involved killings is critical.”
Officers approached Elijah while he was walking home from a convenience store where he purchased tea. At the time, he was wearing a ski mask because he was anemic and liked to keep his face warm, according to his family. Body camera footage from the encounter showed Elijah telling officers they were trying to arrest him while he was trying to stop his music so he could hear what they were saying.
An officer threatened to bring his dog out if the 23-year-old kept “messing around,” and another shouted he tried to reach for one officer’s gun, although that officer said he didn’t feel the attempt. During the struggle, officers used a carotid control hold that restricts the flow of blood from the carotid arteries to the brain.
Paramedics were called to the scene as per department policy and when he suffered from cardiac arrest when he was moved into the ambulance. He regained consciousness at the hospital but died several days later.
In the less than 24 hours since Polis made the announcement about his legal team examining Elija’s case, the Change.org petition climbed to more than 2.6 million signatures.
