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
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation will take over the investigation into the fatal police shooting of a Christchurch man who called 911 for help during a mental health crisis.
He had called 911 and asked for police to help him after a minor car accident.
Glass was likely having a mental health "crisis" at the time.
Police went to the scene and after unsuccessful attempts to get Glass to leave his vehicle, tasered him and shot him five times.
Glass died at the scene.
Police issued a news release soon after the fatality, saying Glass was shot after he became "argumentative and uncooperative" and tried to stab an officer when police smashed a window to remove him from the vehicle.
Today the Clear Creek County Sheriff's Office confirmed it was handing the investigation over to the CBI.
Sheriff Rick Albers said he would also cooperate and collaborate with Clear Creek County Commissioners "in research of a development of a crisis response team" for the area.
He said that would be done "with respect for our community".
"We understand that there is a multitude of information pertaining to the June 2022 incident," Albers said today.
"It is our intention to maintain the integrity and transparency of the investigation and by doing that we must be impartial.
"With that, our obligation is and was to turn the investigation to an independent outside agency, the CBI."
The result of the CBI investigation will then be turned over to the District Attorney.
Christian Glass. Photo / Supplied
"It is my understanding, that, after a review, the DA will decide what further action is appropriate - whether to issue a report, present the case to a grand jury or further investigation," said Albers.
A grand jury in the US is a group of citizens empowered by law to investigate potential criminal conduct and determine whether criminal charges should be brought.
The group may call physical evidence or summons a person to testify.
It is separate from the courts.
Albers said he could not comment further on the case while possible CBI and DA action was pending.
"My office will continue to cooperate in any way we can," he promised.
Lawyers for the Glass family said "had a crisis response team been in place in June of 2022, Christian would be alive today".
"Over the last four months since Christian's death the sheriff's office has misled the public about the facts of Christian's murder and repeatedly condoned, justified, and exonerated their deputies' conduct," the lawyers told the Herald in a statement.
"None of the deputies involved in Christian's murder have been disciplined and the Clear Creek County Sheriff's Office deputy who shot and killed Christian is still on the street in uniform.
"The time for 'research and development' has passed and the nation must demand action and justice for Christian Glass."
Glass was born and raised in Christchurch and when he was 10 his parents relocated to the US.
Last month the Glass family lawyers Qusair Mohamedbhai and Siddhartha Rathod published a cache of footage, reports and documents related to his death on their website.
"Christian was loved beyond measure by his parents, sisters, extended family, friends, and community," they said in a statement.
"Christian had so much of his life left to live when it was tragically and unjustly taken away from him in June… From beginning to end, the officers escalated and proactively initiated force... Christian, fully contained in his vehicle and presenting no threat, was eventually surrounded by seven officers with guns drawn.
"There was no need to threaten him with force; to draw guns; to break his car window; to fire beanbag rounds from a close distance; to tase him; to shoot him dead.
"From beginning to end, the officers on the scene acted unconscionably and inhumanely.
"These officers took a gentle, peaceful soul and extinguished it simply because it was 'time to move the night on'... these officers, including the one who killed Christian, are still in uniform and have paid no price for their conduct."
They said what happened to Glass was "simply unacceptable".
"The Glass family calls on law enforcement departments across Colorado and the nation at large to condemn the criminal actions of the officers in this case," the lawyer's statement said.
"The Glass family further calls on the Fifth Judicial District, the Colorado Attorney General's Office, and the United States Attorney General's Office to prosecute these officers to the fullest extent of the law.
