Paramedics' Trial Begins in Elijah McClain's Death: Jury Selection Underway

Jury selection is set to begin in the trial of two paramedics charged in the death of Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old massage therapist who died after being injected with ketamine by paramedics following a police stop in 2019. The paramedics face charges of manslaughter, negligent homicide, and assault. The case has drawn attention to the use of sedatives during police encounters and the rare prosecution of paramedics in such cases. Legal experts believe a conviction is unlikely, and some argue that the prosecution is an example of prosecutorial overreach. The trial comes as the medical community is reevaluating the use of ketamine and the diagnosis of "excited delirium."