Olathe man wrongly accused in Chiefs parade shooting speaks out on lawsuit
OLATHE, Kan. – The Johnson County man who was wrongly accused of being a “shooter” and “illegal alien” at the Chiefs Super Bowl rally on February 14 is suing the U.S. congressman who made those comments.
A photo of Olathe resident Denton Loudermill, seen sitting on a curb in handcuffs, spread like wildfire on social media. However, Kansas City police said Loudermill had nothing to do with the shooting, and that they actually detained many people that day who were not involved.
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Loudermill is now seeking $75,000 in damages for what Republican Congressman Tim Burchett wrote about him on social media following that deadly shooting.
“I just want him to be held accountable for what he did and said to me,” Loudermill said on Wednesday afternoon.
Loudermill explained that the posts have resulted in death threats and mental distress like anxiety, agitation, and sleep disruption.
“My kids are going through some things too; people asking them questions and stuff like that. I just don’t want this to be this known,” he said.
Loudermill and his attorney, LaRonna Lassiter Saunders, spoke to the media at the Olathe Public Library to outline the case and the impact it’s had on Loudermill and his family.
“If the congressman and others had owned the misinformation it wouldn’t have felt so intentional or a disregard for the damage that was done to Mr. Loudermill,” added Lassiter Saunders.
Kansas City police initially detained Loudermill, something the department said it did to many people following the mass shooting on February 14 that resulted in the death of 41-year-old Lisa Lopez Galvan. However, he was released that same day, yet he was the only person to have his picture go viral.
Burchett’s posts received more than seven million views and saw 21,000 retweets, according to the lawsuit.
“I just want him to apologize and spread the word that I am not the guy that he says I was,” added Loudermill, who is demanding a jury trial in Kansas City, Kansas.
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“At this point, I think we’ve done enough talking and it’s time for action,” said Lassiter Saunders. “We are going to let the legal process work.”
FOX4 called the Burchett’s office Wednesday for comment but did not get an answer. In the meantime, Loudermill has set up a GoFundMe to help cover his legal expenses, which can be found here.
