AURORA, Colo. — The lead detective on Elijah McClain case has been reassigned within the Aurora Police Department, police officials confirmed Wednesday.
Det. Matt Ingui requested a temporary reassignment to another unit, and the move was not a result of any internal investigations, officials said.
Chief Vanessa Wilson said she remains "steadfast in my support for not only Detective Ingui and his professionalism but the entire Major Crimes Homicide Unit at APD."
"I am very confident in the unit’s work overall and look forward to the results of the other ongoing reviews and investigations," Wilson said. "We will implement any comprehensive procedural changes, including those presented in the report by Jonathan Smith and his team, to mirror best practices across the nation as that work is completed.”
An independent investigation into McClain's death concluded last month that a "more effective review" of the case should have been taken by the Major Crime Unit. The investigative report, called for an assessment of the "training and supervision of Major Crime Unite detectives in connection to the investigation of potential criminal misconduct by police officers."
The report said that not only did APD's Major Crime investigation fail to look far beyond the officers' statements, but the district attorney's office's review "failed to assess the conduct of the officers." The report also dinged the district attorney's office for its investigation, saying that "it is critical that a prosecutor conduct and include a thorough and accurate assessment in any report he or she issues" and that "the conclusory nature of the district attorney's findings on [the issue of the Major Crime Division interview with the officers] similarly left open important questions."