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Former Clear Creek deputy Andrew Buen faces a second-degree murder charge, among others, for shooting and killing Christian Glass in 2022.
CLEAR CREEK COUNTY, Colo. —
Monday marks the second day of what is expected to be a three-week long trial for Andrew Buen, one of the former Clear Creek County deputies charged in the death of Christian Glass.
Buen, the deputy who shot and killed 22-year-old Glass, is charged with second-degree murder, official misconduct and reckless endangerment.
> The video above aired April 12
Trial opened Friday afternoon, where opening statements from both sides presented markedly different theories of what happened the night of Glass’s death: one of young man experiencing a mental health crisis, the other of one under the influence of drugs in a car full of weapons.
Fifth Judicial District Attorney Heidi McCollum argued in opening statements that Buen’s actions that night were “aggressive, excessive and criminal.” She said Glass was terrified and calling for help the night he was shot.
Defense attorneys for Buen painted a different picture, one of investigative oversight and a larger threat to law enforcement.
Carrie Slinkard, an attorney for Buen, suggested Glass was under the influence of drugs and was more of a threat to the responding officers than the prosecution describes.
Prosecutors say Glass called 911 for help after he got his car stuck on a boulder in Silver Plume in June 2022, and that he appeared to be experiencing a mental health crisis when several officers engaged with him for more than an hour. Body camera footage shows Buen broke the car’s window, shot Glass with bean bag rounds and used a Taser on him before shooting him five times in the chest.
Following opening statements, the jury heard testimony from two witnesses, the first being Paige Kincaid, one of the dispatchers who answered Glass’ call that night.
Kincaid testified that Glass’ call was designated a “motorist assist” for drivers in need of help. She also said that Glass was designated “clean and valid,” meaning he had no prior warrants and was a valid driver.
The second was Kirby Lewis, assistant director of investigative units at the Colorado Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) Denver office. Lewis was the first CBI investigator on scene, saying he arrived after several officers had already left. He said he has investigated over 30 police-involved shootings.
Lewis said he conducted one interview with Georgetown Marshal Randy Williams, one of the responding officers. He told the jury he assigned CBI Agent Derek Graham to be lead investigator on the case. Graham is expected to testify on Monday.
In November 2022, a Clear Creek grand jury indicted Buen alongside his supervisor, former Clear Creek deputy Kyle Gould, who wasn’t at the scene that night. According to court documents, Gould was watching the encounter with Glass via a live-streamed body-worn camera. He then gave the order for Glass’s driver’s side window to be broken out.
The 5th Judicial District Attorney’s Office offered plea deals to both former Clear Creek deputies in September 2023.
Gould pleaded guilty in November to “duty to report use of force by peace officers – duty to intervene.”
He was sentenced to two years unsupervised probation and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine. As part of the plea agreement, Gould withdrew his POST certification and cannot work as a police officer or security guard in Colorado ever again.
Later in November 2023, the DA’s office charged all six other officers on scene the night of Glass’s death for failing to intervene.
In May 2023, the Glass family was awarded $19 million in a settlement agreement with Clear Creek County, the Colorado State Patrol, the Georgetown Police Department and the Idaho Springs Police Department – all departments with officers on scene that night. Among the many non-economic terms of the settlement, Clear Creek County has implemented a crisis response team to respond to calls. It is the largest police misconduct settlement in Colorado history.
View a full timeline of events in this case here:
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