Officer Involved With Elijah McClain's Death One of 3 Fired Over Photo

Three police officers have been fired over a photo taken at the site of Elijah McClain's death in police custody. However, the officers' union suggests their rights were violated.

In October, three Aurora, Colorado police officers--Erica Marrero, Kyle Dittrich and Jaron Jones--posed for a photo near a memorial for McClain. The officers reenacted the chokehold that was used on him. Jones resigned over the photo Tuesday, and on Friday, Interim Police Chief Vanessa Wilson announced that Marrero and Dittrich had been fired.

A third officer, Jason Rosenblatt, was fired for commenting "ha ha" after he'd received digital copies of the photo. Rosenblatt was involved in the original incident leading to McClain's death.

The officers had been placed on administrative leave since June 25, according to the Denver Post.

"The officers' actions in these photos are appalling and inexcusable and will not be tolerated by the Interim chief or by me," Mayor Mike Coffman said in a statement obtained by Newsweek. "We will have a police department that reflects our community's demographics, values and culture. We cannot and will not accept anything less. This is an important step in that process, and it's a process that will continue in order to restore trust."

In a Facebook post, the Aurora Police Association (APA), the union for the Aurora Police Department decried the firing of the officers, saying that the speed of the investigation was "unprecedented."

"All of the officers involved were ordered to give interviews on very short notice, without proper preparation, outside of their normal work hours, had their phones confiscated and downloaded, and then were given an abbreviated and defective file review process. All of these steps ordered by Interim Chief Wilson were violations of the officer's due process rights. Against the written policy, Interim Chief Wilson then denied each officer the option for an Internal Review Board," the APA said.

"A standard internal affairs case takes several months. This case took 9 days. This investigation is a rush to judgement," the group added.

Newsweek reached out to the Aurora Police Department for comment.

McClain, 23, was detained by police on August 24. Officers were responding to a report of a "suspicious man" in a ski mask. McClain was wearing a ski mask at the time; his family said that he was anemic and it helped keep him warm.

McClain was listening to music when the officers confronted him and could not hear what they were saying initially. According to bodycam footage, one officer threatened McClain that if he kept "messing around" the officer would "bring my dog out and he's going to bite you."

An officer then put McClain in a carotid control hold, causing McClain to fall down and vomit. Paramedics arrived at the scene and injected him with ketamine to sedate him. McClain went into cardiac arrest on the way to the hospital and died on August 30 when he was taken off life support.

The Adams County coroner ruled in November that McClain's cause of death was "undetermined," but pointed out factors including "intense physical exertion and a narrow left coronary artery."

The three officers involved--Rosenblatt, Nathan Woodyard and Randy Roedema--were reassigned to non-enforcement duties in June, due to fears for their safety.

As of Friday, nearly 4.2 million people have signed a petition calling for an investigation into McClain's death. On June 25, Colorado Governor Jared Polis ordered the investigation into McClain's death be reopened.

"Elijah McClain should be alive today, and we owe it to his family to take this step and elevate the pursuit of justice in his name to a statewide concern," Polis said in a statement.