3 Colorado officers in Christian Glass shooting have charges dropped, agree to create police training video
Three officers who were present at the scene when Christian Glass was killed by a Colorado sheriff's deputy had their charges dropped. As part of a plea agreement, those officers made a training video in an effort to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
Idaho Springs Police Officer Brittany Morrow, former Georgetown Police Officer Timothy Collins, and Colorado State Patrol trooper Ryan Bennie were each charged with failure to intervene, a misdemeanor.
5th Judicial District Attorney Heidi McCollum and Glass's parents' attorney confirmed Wednesday that those charges were dropped on Tuesday. If any of those officers had been convicted, they would have lost the ability to serve in law enforcement in Colorado.
McCollum said that part of the agreement to dismiss the cases was contingent on the officers creating a training video that would be used in an effort to help other law enforcement agencies avoid similar incidents.
Body camera footage of the shooting has already been used by hundreds of law enforcement agencies around the country as an example of "what never to do," McCollum told CBS News Colorado on Wednesday. This training video, about 25 minutes long, is intended to be paired with that footage and deals with critical incident training and training for officers dealing with people who might be experiencing a mental health crisis.
"That training video was put together by our office and Colorado State Patrol, and kudos to them for allowing us to use their facility and their resources to put this together," McCollum continued. "They all, in different segments, talk about different aspects of this event. What went wrong, when did it go wrong, and why did it go wrong? Knowing what you know now, what would you do differently? Having lived with this, what impact has this had on your personal and professional life?"
McCollum said the District Attorney's Office worked closely with the Glass family as an agreement was reached.
"They thought it was a good idea, and it was a potential way to get something out of this horrible situation, and to potentially look for something good in such a tragic and senseless murder," McCollum said. "I think we wanted to fashion a plea deal where the family could move on and continue to heal, and that the community could also continue to heal," she added.
The plea agreement was first reported by the Denver Post.
Glass was shot in 2022 after calling 911 for help when his SUV became stuck. He told the 911 operator he had several weapons in his car. His parents said they believed Glass was having a mental health crisis.
"This case began when the Glass family suffered the loss of their son, a loss that should never have occurred. I was very pleased to learn about the agreement reached between the 5th Judicial District Attorney's Office and Trooper Ryan Bennie, specifically that the criminal charges he faced would be dismissed," Col. Matthew Packard, chief of the Colorado State Patrol, said in a statement on Wednesday. "While I wish the process to arrive at this outcome would have been different, particularly in avoiding an unnecessary criminal charge against Trooper Bennie, I also understand the complexities involved. Our agency will continue its efforts to learn and grow following our involvement in incidents as a part of our drive for continuous improvement. The Colorado State Patrol is glad to have Trooper Bennie continue his professional service to the people of Colorado as a member of our agency."
"From my perspective, if this video is sent out to law enforcement and there happens to be one incident somewhere in the country where officers actually take the time, don't rush to judgment and don't rush to use force and just demand and continue to frighten and intimidate someone who's clearly in need of compassion -- if it can save one person's life, then the plea agreement in these three cases and the decision to dismiss these three cases will have been worth it," McCollum said.
The deputy who shot Glass, Andrew Buen, was convicted of criminally negligent homicide last month. Former Clear Creek County Sheriff's Sgt. Kyle Gould pleaded guilty in 2023 to charges of duty to report use of force and duty to intervene.
McCollum went on to say she felt neither the Glass family nor the Clear Creek County community needed to be subjected to three more trials in the case.
"They endured this and continue to endure this, and is it right to move forward in this case just because a crime was committed?" she said. "Is it appropriate to put the family through three additional trials, since they've already been through two?"
"Our job is to do the right thing. That doesn't mean prosecuting everyone who's ever committed a crime," she continued. "Our job is to make our communities safer and better places to live."
Siddartha Rathod, the family's attorney, lauded the move, saying it helps bring closure to the case and decreases the chances of something like this happening again.
"This is the type of out-of-the-box thinking by district attorneys that should be commended," Rathod told CBS News Colorado on Wednesday. "This resolution provides closure to the community and makes all Coloradans safer. The 5th Judicial District Attorney should be commended for ensuring Colorado is safer today."
Rathod went on to say he believes this is one step towards closure for the Glass family.
"This family deserves closure. They deserve peace. They deserve to be able to mourn in private and hopefully we are close to giving them that."
The Glass family settled a civil lawsuit with several agencies involved in the shooting for $19 million in 2023; the largest known payout after a police killing in state history.
Since Christian's passing, the Colorado State Patrol has also worked to create a virtual reality training focused on de-escalation and intervention. Clear Creek County has also agreed to dedicate a public park in Christian's name.
