Former Sheriff’s Deputy Found Guilty of Reckless Endangerment in Fatal Shooting of 22-Year-Old Man
A former sheriff’s deputy, Andrew Buen, was found guilty on Friday of reckless endangerment in the fatal shooting of 22-year-old Christian Glass, who had called 911 for help after his S.U.V. got stuck on a mountain road near Silver Plume, Colo. The jury, however, was unable to reach a verdict on charges of murder and official misconduct.
The case, which drew scrutiny over how the police handle crisis intervention, has been ongoing since Mr. Glass’s death in June 2022. Body camera footage showed that officers, including Mr. Buen, spent more than an hour trying to persuade Mr. Glass to get out of his vehicle. When Mr. Glass did not comply with their orders to drop a knife he was holding, Mr. Buen broke the window and officers used a stun gun and beanbag rounds on him before Mr. Buen fired five shots, killing Mr. Glass.
Mr. Glass’s mother has stated that her son was experiencing a mental health episode the night he was killed. The district attorney, Heidi McCollum, argued in court that the officers were concerned for their safety but also wanted Mr. Glass to exit the vehicle safely.
Carrie Slinkard, Mr. Buen’s lawyer, maintained that Mr. Glass posed a threat to the officers with the knife in his hand and that action was taken in response to behaviors that put lives in danger.
In a separate development, another sheriff’s deputy, Kyle Gould, was charged with criminally negligent homicide and reckless endangerment in connection with the shooting. Mr. Gould pleaded guilty to failure to intervene and was sentenced to probation, with a prohibition from working in law enforcement.
Six other officers who responded to the 911 call were also charged with failure to intervene, and the cases against them remain open. The parents of Mr. Glass received a $19 million settlement, with changes to how officers are trained for similar situations to be implemented.
The judge has scheduled a hearing for Monday to discuss sentencing on the reckless endangerment charge and the unresolved charges in the case.
