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A Colorado paramedic was sentenced to four years of probation Friday for his role in the killing of Elijah McClain, bringing a close to the yearslong effort to prosecute those involved in the Black pedestrian’s death.

Jeremy Cooper, a one-time Aurora Fire Rescue paramedic, had faced up to three years in prison following his conviction on Dec. 22 for criminally negligent homicide.

Cooper’s sentence, imposed by District Judge Mark Warner, also included 14 months’ work release and 100 hours of community service.

Before issuing the term, Warner said body camera videos of McClain’s deadly interaction with police were “painful to watch.”

The judge said that while Cooper injected McClain, 23, with more Ketamine than protocol for a person his size, the paramedic has shown he’s “contrite,” dedicated his life to helping others and was not likely to commit crimes in the future.

Before he was sentenced, Cooper said he wanted to address McClain, and at times, cried, while speaking about how he wished McClain were alive.

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