CLEAR CREEK COUNTY, Colo. — Opening statements began Friday in the trial of Andrew Buen, the former Clear Creek deputy who shot Christian Glass in June 2022.
Buen was indicted by a grand jury on charges of second-degree murder, official misconduct and reckless endangerment in the deadly 2022 police shooting of the 22-year-old man.
Glass, who was inside his vehicle, had requested roadside assistance and told dispatchers he had two knives, a hammer and a mallet with him in his car.
Attorneys representing Glass’ family have said the man was going through a mental health episode after his car became stuck on an embankment when law enforcement arrived on the night of June 11, 2022, near Silver Plume.
During opening statements Friday, Buen's team argued the former deputy had no choice but to shoot his weapon, killing Glass, after the 22 year old swung a knife out of the back window of the car he was in that night.
But prosecutors argued Glass simply needed help that night, and the former deputy was hostile from the moment he showed up on scene.
The prosecution also pointed out Buen shot Glass five times.
Glass’ parents sat in the front row of the courtroom Friday as attorneys for Buen made their case about what happened leading up to Glass’ death.
The defense said Glass was potentially under the influence of alcohol and drugs on the night he was killed and suggested he had multiple weapons in the car the night of the encounter with Clear Creek County deputies.
An internal affairs investigation requested by Clear Creek Sheriff Rick Albers and conducted by the Douglas County Sheriff’s office found in late 2023 that Buen did not act properly and failed to de-escalate the situation.
The report found Glass offered to throw the knives out of his vehicle when law enforcement arrived but was told not to do so by former deputy Buen.
He then tossed the knife into the front passenger seat, according to the internal affairs report, which stated it was “never posing an imminent danger to Deputy Buen.”
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Buen was not interviewed as part of that report. He had already been fired by the sheriff’s office.
Former Clear Creek County Sheriff Deputy Kyle Gould, who authorized deputies to use force to remove Glass, previously pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of ignoring duty to report use of force and failing to intervene. Gould was sentenced to two years’ probation and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine in November 2023.
As part of that sentence, Gould was barred from working in a law enforcement capacity in Colorado.
Criminally negligent homicide and reckless endangerment charges against Gould were dropped as part of his plea agreement.
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Buen and Gould were part of seven law enforcement agencies that responded to the scene and for around an hour attempted to persuade Glass to leave his car.
Georgetown Marshal Randy Williams and Georgetown Police Officer Timothy Collins were charged with duty to intervene and later left their positions as part of a separation agreement with the town of Georgetown.
During opening statements Friday, two witnesses were called as well, a 9-1-1 operator and a Colorado Bureau of Investigation assistant director.
The family of Christian Glass reached an historic $19 million settlement with Clear Creek County, the State of Colorado, Georgetown and Idaho Springs in May of 2023.
The trial is scheduled to pick back up Monday at 8:30 a.m.
