The mother of Christian Glass testified in court Wednesday in the trial of a former Clear Creek County deputy charged in his death.
Andrew 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.
Sally Glass testified on Wednesday that her son suffered from depression.
"Christian had a hard time when we moved to America because he lost his identity," said Glass. "He found it very hard to fit in. And also his accent... so he had a very hard time. He did have a very hard time."
Crime
Christian Glass: Opening statements begin in trial of former Clear Creek deputy
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, 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 the scene.
During Glass's testimony Wednesday, she told jurors that many of the items in her son's car were tools she used for art projects.
The trial will continue Thursday.
