KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The mother of an innocent man killed in a 2018 police shooting in Kansas City, Missouri, has filed a lawsuit against officers, the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners and others for his death.
Robert White, 34, was shot and killed by KCPD officers on June 14, 2018, in downtown Kansas City at Barney Allis Plaza.
Investigators said 33-year-old Timothy Mosley was kicked out of the downtown Marriott Hotel after a disturbance and went outside to steal a golf cart from an unarmed security officer. He then engaged White in an altercation.
When police were called, Mosley pointed a gun at officers and they fired, killing both men.
No charges were filed against the officers involved.
The Use of Force Committee of the Jackson County Prosecutor's Office did find that White was an innocent bystander but that officers were not responsible for his death.
Now, White's mother is seeking justice for his death.
Her lawsuit names two individual officers (one who was working off duty at the time and one who responded to the scene on duty), the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners, Downtown Kansas City Community Improvement District, The Downtown Council of Kansas City and United American Security, LLC - the security company employed for service at Barney Allis Plaza at the time.
The lawsuit claims White was shot 17 times by KCPD officers, resulting in 19 bullet wounds and 10 bullets retrieved from the body. It also says five bullets were retrieved from Mosley's body.
It claims the downtown entities named were negligent in their use of security and that security was simply a "warm body" provided who did not report Mosley's behavior and ran to the security office while White was assaulted.
White's mother is seeking court-awarded damages for a number of different items.
From the officers, one who responded while on duty and one who was working off duty at the hotel, White is seeking damages for excessive use of force violating the Fourth and Fifteenth amendments and for wrongful death because White was unarmed.
The lawsuit alleges White was dragged while bleeding, flipped onto his stomach and handcuffed then "viciously" stepped on while being rendered no aid for five minutes - resulting in the amendment violations.
The Board of Police Commissioners is being sued for having "policies, practices and patterns of conduct and customs which operated to deprive Robert White of his constitutional rights" in effect based on the training and response of the officers involved.
The CID and Downtown Council are being sued for wrongful death because of their "negligent" security operations that should have been more effective in protecting White.
The security company is being sued for wrongful death because of the company's response to the situation as well.
A jury trial on all issues has been requested.
