CLEAR CREEK COUNTY, Colo. — A jury found a former Clear Creek County sheriff's deputy guilty of reckless endangerment in the June 2022 death of Christian Glass but could not reach a verdict for the second-degree murder and official misconduct charges.
Andrew Buen is among several other law enforcement officers charged in connection to the shooting of the 22-year-old man.
The prosecution and defense team will meet on Monday to discuss the sentencing and the two hung jury counts. According to lawyers for the Glass family, 11 of the 12 jurors found Buen guilty of second-degree murder within the first hours of deliberations.
In a statement, the Glass family thanked the jury for their service and said they hope "no other family will experience their grief and profound loss due to law enforcement behavior."
Full statement:
Sally and Simon Glass, the parents of Christian Glass, thank and appreciate the Fifth Judicial District Attorney’s Office for its diligent prosecution of former Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Deputy Andrew Buen. Andrew Buen was found guilty of Reckless Endangerment. The Glass family thanks the jury for their service.
Christian Glass, twenty-two years old, was shot and killed by a Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Buen on June 11, 2022, after calling 911 for roadside assistance. His family has been destroyed by grief yet is committed to pursuing justice for Christian. Christian was a citizen of the United States, New Zealand, and Great Britain. He was an artist, an amateur geologist, a cook, a friend, a brother to two sisters, and a treasured son. He is dearly missed and should be alive today.
With heavy hearts, the Glass family reflects on some positive social impacts that resulted from Christian’s tragic death. In addition to the $19 million in financial compensation from all law enforcement agencies involved, the civil settlements also include many impactful measures aimed at honoring Christian’s memory and effecting lasting change:
- Clear Creek County has agreed to dedicate a public park to Christian Glass, which will be selected in consultation with Simon and Sally Glass.
- Clear Creek County has agreed to establish a dedicated crisis response team in the County by January 1, 2025. In addition, the Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office will train and certify all its patrol officers in crisis intervention. These agreements recognize the critical importance that law enforcement respond to emergencies, including situations involving mental health crises, with professionalism, empathy, and an emphasis on de-escalation.
- Simon and Sally Glass will have the opportunity to speak with Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office’s new patrol recruits, to share Christian’s story and emphasize the importance of these issues.
- The State has agreed to influential changes in its law enforcement training programs. The Colorado State Patrol will develop a virtual reality training scenario reflecting Christian’s murder, with a focus on de-escalation in a high-stress situation. This training will be named after Christian. In addition, the State Patrol and Division of Gaming will open their statewide ABLE (Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement) training with a video presentation of Simon and Sally Glass explaining the importance of officers’ duty to intervene.
The Glass family hopes that no other family will experience their grief and profound loss due to law enforcement behavior.
Law enforcement’s fatal encounter with Glass began after he dialed for roadside assistance, reporting his vehicle had become stuck on an embankment near Silver Plume on the evening of June 11, 2022. Glass, who remained inside his vehicle during the incident, told dispatchers he had two knives, a hammer and a mallet with him inside the car. Attorneys for the Glass family later said the 22-year-old was undergoing a mental health episode.
During the trial, Sally Glass, Christian’s mother, testified her son had suffered from depression.
“Christian had a hard time when we moved to America because he lost his identity,” his mother said. “He found it very hard to fit in – and also his accent, so he had a very hard time.”
Over the course of an hour, officers attempted to get Glass to leave his car and eventually fired bean bag rounds and a Taser, which failed to work. Glass was then shot by Buen five times after he swung a knife out of the back of the car’s window.
An internal affairs investigation requested by then-Clear Creek County Sheriff Rick Albers and conducted by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office was critical of how law enforcement handled the incident, determining that Buen did not act properly and failed to de-escalate the situation.
“By a preponderance of the evidence, Deputy (Andrew) Buen was not within (Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office) policy and procedure when he used deadly physical force,” the report read.
Not only did Glass report he was in possession of the weapons in his initial call for help, but 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 the former deputy. He later 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.”
During opening statements, Buen’s attorneys argued the former deputy had no choice but to fire his weapon after Glass swung the knife. Prosecutors countered that the 22-year-old only needed help and Buen was hostile from the beginning of the police call.
“Deputy Buen failed to recognize his verbal and non-verbal tactics were failing to de-escalate Mr. Glass and gain Mr. Glass’ cooperation,” the report stated. “Rather, Deputy Buen’s actions escalated Mr. Glass to the point that Mr. Glass stopped all verbal communication before other officers could attempt to negotiate with him.”
The knives, hammer and mallet were in Glass’ possession as part of his work as an amateur geologist, the family’s attorneys said.
The Clear Creek Sheriff’s Office de-escalation policy showed officers should remain at a safe distance from the suspect, but Buen stayed in close proximity to Glass during the course of the incident.
Buen did not follow these strategies, according to the report.
“Mr. Glass was not in a physical position to kill anyone,” the report stated. “A knife is a dangerous weapon, however for Mr. Glass to kill or seriously injure an officer on scene, he would have had to exit the vehicle or turned his body so significantly in the driver’s seat that he would have been able to reach the knife more than one to two feet outside the vehicle, in order to inflict injury to (Georgetown Police) Chief (Randolph) Williams.”
Albers, who was under fire for his handling of the shooting death of Glass, retired in August 2023. Local officials, including Clear Creek County Commissioner Randy Wheeler, told Denver7 Investigates that commissioners felt there had been a failure of leadership.
Denver7 Investigates
Historic $19 million settlement reached in death of Christian Glass
Seven Colorado law enforcement agencies responded to the scene that June night.
Former Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Deputy Kyle Gould, who authorized deputies to use force to remove Glass, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of ignoring duty to report use of force and failing to intervene.He was sentenced to two years probation, ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and stripped of his ability to work in a law enforcement capacity in the state of Colorado.
As part of Gould’s plea agreement, the additional charges of criminally negligent homicide and reckless endangerment were dropped.
"You can stick Mr. Gould in jail, but honestly it's not going to bring Christian back," Christian's mother said after the sentencing. "I think it's important that he doesn't ever serve in a position of responsibility. He never will be in charge of any decision-making when it comes to the general public. And I think that's really the most important thing."
Georgetown Marshall Randy Williams and Officer Timothy Collins were charged with duty to intervene, a misdemeanor, and left their law enforcement positions as part of a separation agreement with Georgetown. Williams also faces a third-degree assault charge.
Idaho Springs Police Officer Brittany Morrow, who was charged with failing to intervene, was scheduled for a disposition hearing in a Clear Creek County courtroom on Tuesday.
State Trooper Ryan Bennie, who was also charged with failure to intervene, was reassigned to an administrative position by the Colorado State Patrol while the case proceeded in the legal system.
Denver7 Investigates
Internal investigation: Clear Creek deputy did not act properly during shooting
In November 2023, Colonel Matthew Packard, chief of the Colorado State Patrol, said in a release he found “no indication that Trooper Bennie violated any Colorado State Patrol policy or training. I am shocked by the decision of the District Attorney to pursue charges against Trooper Bennie,”
In May 2023, the Glass family reached a historic $19 million settlement with Clear Creek County, the State of Colorado, and the towns of Georgetown and Idaho Springs.
