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FBI launches civil rights investigation into 2018 death of Overland Park teen

John Albers was shot by police officer in driveway
Family of Overland Park teen decries police treatment
Posted at 4:56 PM, Sep 24, 2020
and last updated 2020-09-24 19:20:07-04

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The January 2018 shooting death of an Overland Park teenager by a police officer is now the subject of a federal civil rights investigation.

A Kansas City FBI field office spokesperson told 41 Action News on Thursday that the local office, the FBI’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney for the District of Kansas are partnering in the investigation into the shooting death of 17-year-old John Albers by Overland Park Police Officer Clayton Jenison as the teen backed out of the driveway at his family's home.

“The FBI will collect all available facts and evidence and will ensure that the investigation is conducted in a fair, thorough and impartial manner,” the spokesperson said in an e-mail.

Albers was shot and killed as several officers responded to the south Overland Park home on a mental health call.

Less than two months after the shooting, Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe said his office had reviewed available evidence and declined to file criminal charges against the officer, who was later identified as Jenison.

Overland Park paid Jenison $70,000 shortly after the incident as part of a separation agreement with the city, the 41 Action News Investigators learned this summer.

Roughly a year following the incident, the Albers family reached a $2.3 million civil settlement with Overland Park in connection to the shooting.

An Overland Park spokesperson said the city would "fully cooperate" with all investigations into the incident, according to a statement to 41 Action News.

Sheila Albers, John's mother, said the Albers Family has spoken to the FBI, but declined further comment due to the ongoing nature of the investigation.

The district attorney's office had no comment.