Former Deputy Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison for Death of Christian Glass
Former Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Deputy Andrew Buen was sentenced Monday to three years in prison for the 2022 shooting death of Christian Glass. Buen was convicted in February of criminally negligent homicide—a Class 5 felony—after a jury found he acted recklessly during the fatal encounter. He will also serve 120 days in jail for reckless endangerment, to be served concurrently, and was credited with 54 days already served. The sentence includes two years of mandatory parole.
Glass, 22, was killed in June 2022 after calling 911 for help when his car became stuck in Silver Plume. Buen was originally charged with second-degree murder, but a jury deadlocked on that charge during his first trial. In a retrial, he was found guilty of the lesser charge.
Buen’s supervisor, Deputy Kyle Gould—who was watching the incident remotely via body camera footage—gave the order to break Glass’s car window and was also charged. Gould later pleaded guilty to failing to report use of force and was sentenced to two years’ probation. He permanently lost his law enforcement certification in Colorado.
In total, six officers were charged in the incident for failing to intervene. Charges were later dropped against two of them. The Glass family reached a $19 million settlement in May 2023, the largest police misconduct payout in Colorado history. As part of the agreement, Clear Creek County has launched a crisis response team to improve mental health response in similar situations.
