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A screenshot from a bodycam of the night Christian Glass, 22, before he was shot and killed after Clear Creek County Sheriff's deputies responded to a 911 call. (Rathod Mohamedbhai LLC screenshot)
Six officers have been cited for failing to intervene when a Clear Creek County sheriff’s deputy fatally shot Christian Glass after he called 911 for roadside assistance while experiencing a mental health crisis in June 2022.
The misdemeanor count was filed against former Georgetown Police Marshal Randy Williams, Idaho Springs Officer Brittany Morrow, Colorado Division of Gaming officers Mary Harris and Christa Lloyd, Colorado State Patrol trooper Ryan Bennie and former Clear Creek County deputy Tim Collins, who now works as an officer in Georgetown, according to a statement from the Fifth Judicial District Attorney Heidi McCollum on Friday morning.
Williams also faces third-degree assault, a misdemeanor, documents show.
“Law enforcement officers must be held accountable for their actions when performing their trusted public service duties,” Heidi McCollum, 5th Judicial District Attorney said in a statement.
Body camera footage from the fatal shooting doesn’t show that any officer on the scene attempted to stop the breach of Glass’ car before the 22-year-old was shot. Footage from the June 2022 shooting shows the officers on a road in the small mountain town of Silver Plume for more than 70 minutes as Glass refuses to come out of his car, telling police he’s terrified and making a heart shape with his hands to officers.
At one point, Glass also can be seen praying with folded hands and saying, “Dear Lord, don’t let them break the window.” When officers broke the window, Glass seemed to panic and grabbed a knife.
In November 2022, a grand jury found that the decision to remove Glass from the vehicle directly resulted in his death.
The charges come a day after former Clear Creek County sheriff’s supervisor, who authorized the removal of Christian Glass from his car, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors.
Kyle Gould pleaded guilty to ignoring his duty to intervene and his duty to report use of force by peace officers. He was sentenced by a Clear Creek County District judge to two years of unsupervised probation and a $1,000 fine. He is also barred from working in law enforcement or security.
In exchange for Gould’s guilty plea, prosecutors agreed to dismiss a felony charge of criminally negligent homicide, court documents show.
From outside the Clear Creek County courthouse Thursday, Simon Glass stood by his wife, wishing all officers were held accountable for failing to stop the killing of their son.
“They all behaved abominably,” Simon Glass said. “Nothing can bring Christian back, but we really want everyone there to be held accountable. We’ve said that from the start. And it’s really time for that to happen now. I think it’s been 17 months that we’ve been waiting for justice.”
Andrew Buen, the former deputy who shot and killed Glass, pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and criminally negligent homicide. Buen’s next court appearance is set for Dec. 20, where a trial date is likely to be scheduled.
Williams, Collins, Morrow, Bennie, Lloyd, and Harris are all scheduled to appear
in court at 9 a.m. December 12.
This is a developing news story that will be updated.
Olivia Prentzel covers breaking news and a wide range of other important issues impacting Coloradans for The Colorado Sun, where she has been a staff writer since 2021. At The Sun, she has covered wildfires, criminal justice, the environment,... More by Olivia Prentzel
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