Former Colorado sheriff’s deputy Andrew Buen was convicted of criminally negligent homicide for fatally shooting 22-year-old Christian Glass during a mental health crisis in June 2022. The jury declined to convict Buen of the more serious second-degree murder charge despite his reckless endangerment conviction. He faces a maximum of three years in prison, with sentencing set for April 14. The incident raised concerns about police crisis intervention tactics, resulting in changes to training protocols and a $19 million settlement for Glass’s family. The case spotlighted the accountability of law enforcement, with further charges pending against other officers involved.
A former sheriff’s deputy in Colorado, who fatally shot a 22-year-old man undergoing a mental health crisis on a dimly lit mountain road in 2022, was found guilty on Thursday of criminally negligent homicide.
The ex-deputy, Andrew Buen, might receive up to three years in prison during his sentencing on April 14, as reported by the Clear Creek County District Attorney’s Office. The jury opted against convicting him of the more severe second-degree murder charge in the death of Christian Glass, which raised concerns about police crisis intervention methods, led to modifications in officer training for such incidents, and resulted in a $19 million settlement for Mr. Glass’s parents.
Previously, Mr. Buen was convicted of reckless endangerment related to the shooting. However, the jury could not reach a decision regarding the second-degree murder charge, which could have resulted in a maximum sentence of 48 years in prison. This month’s trial spanned two weeks.
Mr. Glass’s father, Simon Glass, expressed relief on Thursday regarding Mr. Buen’s conviction.
“We no longer have to be constantly anxious, ‘Will he evade accountability?’” Simon Glass, 56, stated via phone after the trial. “The jury likely displayed him a bit more mercy than he afforded our son, but at least we have a conviction.”
Mr. Buen’s attorney, Mallory Revel, remarked in a statement that the murder charge “was never appropriate for this case, and we are thankful to the jurors for understanding that.”
“This case will have significant implications for law enforcement across Colorado, but we have respect for the legal process,” Ms. Revel added.
In an interview, Heidi McCollum, the Clear Creek County district attorney, stated, “I uphold the actions taken by my office.”
“Hopefully, this offers some closure, if possible, to the Glass family,” Ms. McCollum added.
According to the district attorney’s office, eight law enforcement officers were charged in this case, with four cases still pending. In November 2023, six officers present at the scene faced charges of failure to intervene, a misdemeanor.
Mr. Buen was the sole officer who shot Christian Glass, and he was the only one to face a murder charge, as stated by the district attorney’s office. Another deputy, Kyle Gould, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors: reckless endangerment and failure to intervene, but he received no prison time.
On the night of June 10, 2022, Mr. Glass called 911 after his Honda Pilot got stuck on an embankment close to Silver Plume, Colo., a historical mining camp located around 45 miles west of Denver.
He had panicked after becoming immobilized while attempting a three-point turn, according to his father. During the call with the dispatcher, Mr. Glass mentioned that his SUV was caught in a “trap” and that he was emerging from a state of depression.
Officers from five different law enforcement agencies responded to the scene.
Over the next hour, they attempted to persuade Mr. Glass, who was holding a knife, to exit his vehicle and drop the weapon. They deployed a stun gun and fired beanbag rounds at him when he refused to comply with their commands to leave the vehicle, as per body camera footage.
According to the district attorney’s office, Mr. Buen shattered the front passenger-side window with a baton. Video footage showed Mr. Glass twisting in his seat and swinging an arm at the glass.
Mr. Buen then shot Mr. Glass five times using his service weapon. Mr. Glass was declared dead at the scene.
Mr. Glass’s legal representatives asserted that the officers escalated the situation unnecessarily and employed excessively aggressive tactics during the roughly 70-minute encounter.
Following the shooting, Mr. Buen returned to duty with the Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office but was terminated in November 2022 after the indictment against him became public.
Since 2005, only nine law enforcement officers in the U.S. have been convicted of murder for shootings that occurred while they were on duty, according to Philip M. Stinson, a criminal justice professor at Bowling Green State University in Ohio.
According to Mr. Stinson, sixty-nine officers charged with homicide have been convicted of crimes related to on-duty shootings since 2005.
“This is not typical,” he stated. “It requires an extraordinary set of circumstances for an officer to face charges in these situations.”
Siddhartha H. Rathod, an attorney for the Glass family, stated that Mr. Buen’s conviction on Thursday sent a “strong message to law enforcement that they are not above the law.”