Jury Convicts Samuel Young, Who Shot Protesters During Elijah McClain Protest On I-225
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4)- A 24-year-old man who shot and wounded two demonstrators while apparently aiming at a Jeep that was headed toward the crowd during a protest in Aurora in 2020 has been convicted of assault, attempted manslaughter and illegally discharging his gun. A jury in Arapahoe County handed down the verdict in Samuel Young's trial on Thursday evening.
Young, of Wheat Ridge, committed the crime during a July 25, 2020, Elijah McClain protest on Interstate 225. He was protesting the Aurora Police Department's role in McClain's death.
The Jeep's driver was not criminally charged and told CBS4, through his attorney, he feared for his life and was just trying to escape the crowd blocking the interstate.
CBS4 spotted Young in the crowd with protesters openly carrying a weapon. He opened fire at the Jeep as the driver took off, but injured two other protesters instead.
A witness told police Young "entered a state of shock" and appeared he "was horrified at what he did."
Young was surrounded by deputies and escorted out of the courtroom after the verdict was read.
(© Copyright 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)