Colorado officer who pointed gun at doctor suspended 1 week
A white officer with the Colorado police department under investigation for the death of Elijah McClain, the young Black man who died after police put him in a stranglehold, has been suspended for one week for pulling a gun on a doctor who was trying to park at a refugee center the doctor operates
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Your support makes all the difference.An officer with the Colorado police department under investigation for the death of Elijah McClain, the young Black man who died after police put him in a stranglehold, has been suspended for one week for pulling a gun on a doctor who was trying to park at a refugee center the doctor operates.
A department spokesperson said Officer Justin Henderson was suspended for 40 hours without pay and ordered to attend de-escalation training for his March 1 confrontation with Dr. P.J. Parmar, The Sentinel reported Thursday.
The incident gained national attention with the release of police body camera video as well as Parmar's own cellphone video showing Henderson, the white Aurora officer, pointing a gun at Parmar, who is Indian-American, after Parmar honked at the officer’s police car parked in his way.
Parmar, who has said he believes his race affected how he was treated, said he was disappointed with the punishment.
“It’s not enough,” he told The Sentinel in an email. “That would never fly in the business world —I’ve terminated employees for less. The police pretty much have free rein to do whatever they want.”
Parmar’s attorney, David Lane, has said he plans to file a federal lawsuit against the city.
In the video, Henderson walks to Parmar’s car, says “Let me see your (expletive) hands. What are you doing?” and orders him to stay in the car. Parmar is heard explaining that he owns the property and telling Henderson to leave. Parmar then gets out, walks around to a door on one side of the building, punches in a security code and goes inside.
Colorado’s attorney general is reviewing the Aurora Police Department’s arrest and the subsequent death of McClain, a 23-year-old Black man. Three officers were fired for re-enacting a stranglehold used on McClain during his arrest. Federal authorities also are considering whether to launch a civil rights investigation into McClain’s death in 2019.