Officer Who Put Elijah McClain in Neck Hold Reinstated to Police Department with Back Pay

December 1, 2023

AURORA, CO— Nathan Woodyard, the Aurora police officer who put 23 year old Elijah McClain in a since-banned neck hold during his fatal arrest in 2019, has been acquitted of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide.

As a result of the acquittal, Woodyard—who was the first responding officer on the scene— has since opted to be reinstated as an Aurora police officer. Because of his acquittal, Woodyard is eligible to be reinstated and will be receiving over $200k in back pay.

“[Woodyard] has elected to reintegrate with the APD and is currently on Restricted Duty (not in uniform, no public contact, and no enforcement actions) pending [the] next steps in the reintegration process,” city spokesperson Ryan Luby stated to the Guardian.

Woodyard will need to take training courses to learn about internal policies and practices that have changed since he was first suspended in 2021–including the now-outlawed carotid neck hold that he used on McClain during the arrest.

Upon completion of his trainings, Woodyard will be assigned a rank and duties by the Aurora Chief of Police.

What do you think of this decision?