Charges dropped against 3 Colorado officers involved in deadly shooting of Christian Glass
CLEAR CREEK, Colo. (KRDO) – The charges against three officers involved in the deadly shooting of Christian Glass have been dropped, our Denver affiliates 9NEWS confirmed Wednesday.
Idaho Springs Officer Brittany Morrow, former Georgetown Officer Tim Collins and Colorado State Patrol Trooper Ryan Bennie were all set to stand trial in the coming months for failing to intervene in the deadly shooting.
But on Wednesday, a Clear Creek County judge dismissed their misdemeanor charges.
An attorney for the Glass family tells our Denver news partners the charges were dropped as part of an agreement that requires the three officers to help create a training video for law enforcement on how to properly intervene to prevent excessive force.
22-year-old Glass was shot and killed in 2022 after he called 911 for help when his car got stuck in Silver Plume. During the call, Glass exhibited signs he was having a mental health crisis and told the dispatcher he had weapons in his car, such as a hammer and knives.
Several officers engaged with Glass for over an hour as he sat in his car with a knife. Body-worn camera footage then shows Clear Creek County Deputy Andrew Buen breaking Glass' car window, shooting him with bean bag rounds and deploying a Taser before fatally shooting him five times in the chest.
Less than a month ago, Buen – the officer who fired the fatal shots – was sentenced to three years in prison after being found guilty of criminally negligent homicide.
In November of 2023, prosecutors filed charges against all six officers who were on scene that night for failing to intervene – including Bennie, Collins and Morrow. Charges against two of those officers were previously dropped last year.
On Wednesday, Colorado State Patrol Colonel Matthew C. Packard issued the following statement in response to the charges being dropped against Trooper Bennie:
“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. 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.”
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