A former Colorado sheriff’s deputy convicted of fatally shooting a 22-year-old man in distress who had called 911 for help was sentenced Monday to the maximum of three years in prison by a judge who characterized the shooting as an act of power.
Andrew Buen was convicted in February of criminally negligent homicide in the 2022 death of Christian Glass, a case that garnered national attention and spurred calls for reforms in how authorities respond to individuals experiencing mental health crises.
Prosecutors argued that Buen unnecessarily escalated a standoff with Glass, who exhibited signs of a mental health crisis and refused commands to exit his SUV near Silver Plume, a small, former mining town situated along Interstate 70 in the Rocky Mountains west of Denver.
His parents and the involved agencies reached a $19 million settlement that included crisis intervention training for officers responding to people in distress.
Judge Catherine Cheroutes stated that Buen’s sentence needed to address both the tragic loss of Glass and the harm inflicted on the community by the shooting.
“I think this was about power. It wasn’t a mistake. It was about, ‘you need to listen to me because I’m in charge,’” she said. While acknowledging the sentiments of Buen’s family and supporters who described him as a “shirt-off-your-back kind of guy,” she noted that his demeanor changed when he was in uniform and armed.
Buen, wearing an orange jail uniform, offered an apology to the Glass family, wiping his eyes with a tissue using his handcuffed hands as he spoke at a podium.
Glass’s family had expressed doubts about the sincerity of any remorse Buen might display. Buen, his voice trembling, acknowledged their right to feel as they did. He admitted that his actions had escalated the standoff and told the judge he was not “owed” anything.
“There are a million things I should have done better that night,” he said before his sentencing.
Sally Glass told Cheroutes that Buen had behaved like a “bully” towards her son, a creative and gentle artist who was born in his father’s native New Zealand.
“He met evil that night and there was no compassion,” she stated.
Simon Glass said his family’s grief was initially compounded by authorities’ description of his son as the aggressor in the standoff, for which the sheriff’s office later issued an apology. He shared his struggles with anxiety and difficulty referring to his son in the past tense, but found solace in the fact that his son’s name had been cleared, partly due to body camera footage.
Related article Former Colorado sheriff’s deputy convicted of homicide in shooting death of man in crisis Katie Glass recounted how she and her mother now consciously drive below the speed limit to avoid police stops. She expressed regret over watching the body camera footage that captured her older brother’s final moments.
“He died terrified, in pain and all alone. That is what hurts me the most,” she said.
Buen, a former deputy in Clear Creek County, was convicted after a second trial.
Nearly a year prior, another jury had convicted him of a misdemeanor for recklessly endangering other officers by opening fire.
However, jurors were unable to reach a consensus on a murder charge or a charge of official misconduct.
With the support of Glass’ family, prosecutors decided to retry Buen on a second-degree murder charge. Jurors also had the option of convicting him on the lesser charge of criminally negligent homicide.
The defense argued that Glass possessed a knife and Buen was legally justified in shooting him to protect a fellow officer.
After his SUV became stuck, Glass informed a 911 dispatcher that he was being followed. He also made other statements suggesting paranoia, hallucinations, or delusions, indicating a mental health crisis, according to Buen’s indictment.
Upon the arrival of Buen and other officers, Glass refused to exit his vehicle. Video footage from officers’ body cameras showed him making heart shapes with his hands towards the officers.
The officers deployed bean bag rounds and used a Taser on Glass, but these attempts failed to get him out of the car. He then retrieved a knife he had initially offered to surrender and threw it out a rear window, which had been broken by a bean bag, in the direction of an officer, the indictment stated. At that point, Buen fired five shots at him.
“Lord, hear me, Lord, hear me,” Glass was heard saying moments before he was shot.
