Christian Glass was fatally shot by a deputy sheriff after he called 911 for assistance with his vehicle.
On June 10, 2022, around 11:21pm, the Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call from 22-year-old Christian Glass, a chef and artist, who reported that his car had “got stuck in a really bad way” in Silver Plume, Colorado, USA.
During the call, Christian informed officials that he had two knives, a hammer, and a rubber mallet in his car.
To ensure the officials’ safety, he offered to dispose of these items when they arrived. However, a police statement from the incident indicated that when officials arrived, Christian “immediately became argumentative and uncooperative”.
The Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office described a tense, hour-long situation, during which Christian was hit with “less-lethal bean bags” and tasered.
The office claimed that Christian “eventually tried to stab an officer and was shot” by Deputy Sheriff Andrew Buen, with the young man being “pronounced deceased at the scene”.
The autopsy report for Christian’s death revealed that he had sustained five gunshot wounds to the chest and one to his right arm, with the coroner ruling his death a homicide caused by the gunshot wounds.
However, the Glass family’s lawyers allege that “from beginning to end, the officers escalated and proactively initiated force”.
In a statement, they asserted there was “no need” for the officers to threaten or use force against Christian, arguing that “the officers on the scene acted unconscionably and inhumanely”.
Bodycam footage released by the Glass family lawyers shows the officers at Christian’s car for over an hour as he pleaded with them to help him out of his situation.
Christian is seen on camera praying for the officers not to break his windows, and other footage from the incident shows him repeatedly making heart signs towards the officers. The footage eventually captures Christian being shot multiple times and his body being removed from the car.
The office of district attorney Heidi McCollum released a statement on the investigation into Christian’s death, saying they were “working diligently to thoroughly review the evidence in this case”. The statement also noted it was “not in the interests of justice and fairness” to rush proceedings to a quick resolution.
Clear Creek Sheriff’s Sgt. Kyle Gould and Deputy Buen were subsequently fired from the Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office; Buen faced charges of official misconduct, reckless endangerment, and second-degree murder.
In November 2023, Gould pleaded guilty to charges involving the duty to report the use of force and the duty to intervene. He was sentenced to two years of unsupervised probation and fined $1,000. He also agreed to never serve as a protection or police officer in Colorado again.
Earlier this year, Buen was found guilty of reckless endangerment in Christian’s death, but the jury could not reach a unanimous verdict on the charges of official misconduct or second-degree murder.
Christian’s father, Simon, stated to The Independent: “There’s a new sheriff; there’s a new beginning. Clear Creek County should be pleased to see the change and that there’s a different attitude here. So I see that as a positive, even though it might be another few months before we get full justice here.”