CLEAR CREEK COUNTY, Colo. – The trial of former deputy Andrew Buen, charged with second-degree murder for the shooting death of Christian Glass in 2022, enters its eighth day this Tuesday.
Buen, who will not testify in his own defense, faces additional charges of official misconduct and reckless endangerment stemming from the incident nearly two years ago.
During the trial, the jury heard from defense witnesses, including a police tactics expert who defended Buen’s use of lethal force, claiming Glass posed a threat by wielding a knife inside his locked car. Another witness presented photos taken of items in Glass’ car after it was towed from the scene.
Prosecutors allege that Glass, experiencing a mental health crisis, called 911 for help after getting his car stuck on a boulder in Silver Plume in June 2022. After a confrontation lasting over an hour, Buen broke Glass’ car window, fired bean bag rounds, deployed a Taser, and ultimately shot Glass five times in the chest.
In November 2022, a grand jury indicted Buen and his supervisor, former deputy Kyle Gould, who was not present at the scene but gave the order to break Glass’ window after watching the live-streamed encounter.
Gould later pleaded guilty to “duty to report use of force by peace officers – duty to intervene” and received a sentence of two years unsupervised probation, a $1,000 fine, and had his law enforcement certification revoked.
The Glass family reached a $19 million settlement in May 2023 with several police departments involved in the incident, making it the largest police misconduct settlement in Colorado history.
As the trial continues, the defense may call more witnesses, further shedding light on the events leading up to Glass’ tragic death and the actions taken by law enforcement that night.