Christian Glass shooting: Former Colorado sheriff’s deputy convicted of misdemeanor in death of man who called for help
A former Colorado sheriff’s deputy was convicted of a misdemeanor Friday in the shooting death of Christian Glass, who had called 911 for help after his car got stuck in a small mountain community.
DENVER — A former Colorado sheriff’s deputy was convicted of a misdemeanor on Friday in the shooting death of a 22-year-old man in distress who had called 911 for help after his car got stuck in a small mountain community.
Andrew Buen was also charged with second-degree murder and official misconduct in the 2022 death of Christian Glass, which drew national attention and prompted calls for police reform focused on crisis intervention. But jurors could not reach a verdict on those charges and only found him guilty of reckless endangerment, which is typically punished by a maximum four months in jail, The Denver Post reported.
A second-degree murder conviction would have carried a sentence of years in prison.
Prosecutors alleged that Buen needlessly escalated a standoff with Glass, who exhibited signs of a mental health crisis. But the defense said Buen shot Glass to protect a fellow officer, which made the shooting legally justified.
A second officer indicted in Glass’ death previously pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor. Six other officers have been charged with failing to intervene.
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