New Zealand man Christian Glass was shot dead by police in Colorado after he called for roadside assistance. Video / Clear Creek County Sheriff's Office
New information reveals US police officers were never at any risk from New Zealander Christian Glass before they tasered him and fatally shot him five times.
Twenty-two-year-old Christian Glass was shot through the windshield of his car after he ran off the road near Silver Plume, Colorado and called police for help during an apparent mental health crisis on June 11.
Days after two Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office deputies, Deputy Andrew Buen and Sergeant Kyle Gould, were indicted and fired for the alleged killing of Glass, CBS News Colorado received the indictment which revealed damning new details.
During the incident a decision was made to remove Glass from his vehicle even though he appeared to be pleading with the officers, saying he was not a threat but needed help and was scared. At one point he was seen making a heart with his hands.
The indictment said that Gould, who is alleged to have made the order to remove Glass from his car, should have never made the order.
“There is no reason to believe that Mr. Glass would have been a danger to any law enforcement personnel, to himself, or to any member of the public,” it reads.
Furthermore, according to the indictment, “no one on the scene had made a determination that there was probable cause or reasonable suspicion that a crime had been committed or was being committed.”
Body cam footage from police taken the night Christian Glass was killed. Photo / Supplied
During the incident, the indictment stated that Buen’s interactions with Glass became “verbally aggressive” at times and Buen’s colleague Deputy Timothy Collin attempted to step in but these cues when unnoticed.
In a phone call to Gould, Buen apparently muted his body-cam, according to the indictment.
From this point efforts to remove Glass from his car were escalated even though a Colorado State Patrol (CSP) supervisor, heard in edited recordings released by Rathod’s law firm, told the CSP officer on the scene, “If there’s no crime and he’s not suicidal or homicidal, or a great danger, then there’s no reason to contact him.”
Buen went on to break out the front passenger side window of Glass’s car with a baton as Georgetown Police Chief Randall Williams unsuccessfully tried to the same on the rear driver’s side window. Buen then shot Glass with six bean-bag rounds, one of which broke the rear driver’s side window, CBS reported.
Glass was then tasered by both Buen and Williams and the indictment said he screamed in pain and swung his knife around in panic and self defence but Buen ended up shooting Glass five times with his pistol.
Glass was then removed from the car and pronounced dead at the scene.
Christian Glass was born and raised in Christchurch. Photo / Supplied
“Chief Williams at no point was in imminent danger of being stabbed by Mr. Glass and Mr. Glass never attempted to exit the vehicle,” the indictment reads.
Last week a grand jury charged Buen and Gould, leading to their termination.
The sheriff’s office called the decision to fire the officers a “painful but necessary process” following a months-long investigation into Glass’ death.
“From the beginning, CCSO pledged full co-operation with the criminal investigation. This is an ongoing commitment, continuing with the next phase of the criminal justice process,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
US police issued a news release soon after the fatality, saying Glass was shot after he became “argumentative and unco-operative” and tried to stab an officer when police smashed a window to remove him from the vehicle.
