What happened to Christian Glass? Colorado sheriff deputies indicted and fired over fatal shooting

On Wednesday, November 23, a Colorado grand jury announced the indictment of the two Clear Creek County deputies implicated in the shooting of Christian Glass, a 22-year-old man who was killed after calling 911 dispatchers to help him in the aftermath of a car accident.

NBC reported that one of the deputies, Andrew Buen, has been charged with second-degree murder. The second deputy implicated in the shooting, Kyle Gould, was charged with reckless endangerment and criminally negligent homicide.

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While the Creek County Sheriff's Department initially justified the shooting, stating that Christian Glass was armed and uncooperative, prosecutors claimed that they had mishandled the situation.

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Christian Glass was shot five times

Vice reported that on the evening of June 10, Christian Glass was driving home when his vehicle went offroad. Glass, who had ADHD and a history of depression, reportedly called 911 dispatchers, asking for help.

As per CBS Colorado, Christian Glass had informed dispatchers that he was in possession of two knives, a rubber mallet, and a hammer, which he claimed to keep for geology projects. He also stated that he was afraid to leave his car because he was afraid of "skinwalkers," something the 911 dispatcher described as a sign of "paranoid behavior."

USA Today reported that after officers arrived at the scene, Glass refused to leave his vehicle, stating that he was scared. While Clear Creek County deputies tried to get Glass out of his car, a Colorado State Patrol officer who arrived at the scene later told them that their efforts were unnecessary.

The Patrol officer reportedly said:

"If he’s committed no crime and is not suicidal, homicidal, or a great danger, then there is no reason to contact him."

As per NBC, after 70 minutes of trying to get Glass out of the vehicle, Clear Creek County deputies broke through the front window of the car, noting that the deceased was carrying a knife. The deputies fired bean bags at Glass before tasing him.

In response, the Huffington Post reported, Glass began to stab himself with the knife. The indictment stated that subsequently, Deputy Andrew Buen fired five times at Glass, killing him.

In the aftermath of the shooting, the Clear Creek County Sheriff's department released a statement justifying Glass' death, describing the deceased as being potentially dangerous.

The statement read:

"The driver and sole occupant, an adult white male, immediately became argumentative and uncooperative with the Deputies and had armed himself with a knife."

It continued:

"Additional law enforcement officers arrived and for over an hour tried to bring the situation to a peaceful resolution."

In an official press release, however, Christian Glass' parents spoke about their son's history of mental illness and how he never meant to harm officers.

The victim's father, Simon Glass, said:

"It was dark and he was really worried. He trusted the police to come and help him. Instead, they attacked and killed him."

CNN reported that both deputies implicated in the shooting have been fired.