Paramedic violates protocol, ends up killing man, CO officials say. He’s arrested

A paramedic was arrested after being accused of violating protocol, resulting in the death of a 36-year-old man, Colorado officials said.

In December, officers responded to the University of Colorado at Boulder’s campus after getting reports of a “suspicious person,” according to a use-of-force investigation report obtained by KMGH.

The man, later identified as Jesus Lopez Barcenas, was on a concrete ramp yelling that the college’s Center for Innovation and Creativity was on fire, before he “began hitting a fire alarm” with his phone, the document said.

Barcenas reached into his pocket to grab an item that officers couldn’t initially identify, so he was detained, officials said. It was later learned to be a lighter.

Barcenas began to resist, and he was taken to the ground by officers, resulting in one officer rolling his ankle, officials said.

Barcenas tried to grab one of the officer’s guns, and analysis revealed the degree of force used by the officers was legally reasonable, according to a July 11 news release by the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office.

Eventually, medical personnel were called, and paramedic Edward McClure injected Barcenas with a sedative before performing a medical assessment, officials said.

McClure placed Barcenas face down on the gurney while handcuffed, which is a protocol violation, officials said.

McClure placed the gurney on an “upright angle” and in the ambulance, placed a spit sock over his head, another violation of protocol, officials said.

Barcenas was taken to the emergency room and was transported to the intensive care unit in stable condition but died two days later, officials said.

Barcenas’ cause of death was found to be from complications of sudden cardiac arrest following a physical struggle, with the forensic pathologist saying, “The toxic effects of methamphetamine contributed to his death,” officials said. The pathologist added, in their opinion, the death should be “classified as homicide.”

McClure was fired from his position after an internal investigation revealed he had violated county protocol, a spokesperson for American Medical Response told KMGH in a statement.

He is also accused of making “several inconsistent statements and written reports” after the crime, prosecutors said.

McClure was arrested and charged with manslaughter and forgery, officials said.

Boulder is about a 30-mile drive northwest from Denver.