A Boulder paramedic has been charged with manslaughter after sedating and restraining a man who later died. The charges, related to a Dec. 27, 2024 incident, came after an investigation by the Boulder Critical Incident Team.
A July 11 letter from District Attorney Michael Dougherty said paramedic Edward McClure, 54, injected Jesus Lopez Barcenas, 36, with a sedative before doing a proper medical assessment. He also placed Barcenas in a prone position, laying him face down with his arms handcuffed behind him on a medical gurney. Placing a handcuffed patient in that position went against protocols set out by McClure’s employer, ambulance company American Medical Response.
Dougherty called the investigation “thorough and independent.”
“The reckless acts of the paramedic led to the untimely and tragic death of Mr. Barcenas,” he wrote in a statement. “Our prosecution team will fight hard to secure the right outcome in this criminal prosecution, particularly for the loving family of Mr. Barcenas and for this community.”
A medical examiner concluded that Barcenas died from complications of a sudden cardiac arrest, following a physical altercation, the prone position, use of restraints and sedative and that “the toxic effects of methamphetamine contributed to his death.”
Officers from Boulder Police Department and the University of Colorado, Boulder Police Department were responding to a report of a suspicious person and possible crimes in progress when they found Barcenas making nonsensical statements and attempting to damage property.
Barcenas resisted as officers tried to arrest him, struggling and trying to take an officer’s gun, according to investigators. They also found that responding police were legally reasonable and did not use excessive force during the arrest.
McClure allegedly made inconsistent statements and written reports following the incident.
