$1.5M settlement awarded to family of man shot and killed by Kansas City police in 2018

The parents of Robert White, a 34-year-old man who was shot and killed by Kansas City police at Barney Allis Plaza four years ago, have been awarded $1.5 million to settle a federal civil case brought against the Board of Police Commissioners and the two officers who shot him.

U.S. District Judge Fernando J. Gaitan Jr. of the Western District of Missouri issued an order Thursday approving the agreement, two days after a final settlement conference was held at the downtown Kansas City courthouse. Claims were also brought against other defendants — United American Security and The Downtown Council of Kansas City — which have also been settled, though the terms of those agreements were classified as confidential in court.

During a brief phone interview Thursday, Overland Park attorney William Denning, who represented White’s mother in the case, said the amount agreed to from the police department was $1.5 million. Denning said no amount of money could compensate a mother for the loss of her child, though he said she and White’s father — also a party to the case — were glad to see the case come to an end.

“Obviously the loss of a child is hard for any parent, but I do believe Mrs. White, my client, is happy to have the case resolved and happy to have Robert’s story told of what happened on that day.”

The shooting unfolded on the afternoon of June 14, 2018. Kansas City police officers responded to Barney Allis Plaza, 1220 Wyandotte St., on reports of two men fighting, one of whom was reportedly armed with a gun.

Three officers were present on scene when they encountered the men locked in a physical fight, authorities have said. Two of the officers opened fire after they reported seeing one of the men, Timothy Mosley, raise the barrel of the gun toward them.

Mosley and White, who was unarmed, were both killed during the encounter. The gun recovered from Mosley was later found not to have been fired, and personnel with the KCPD Crime Lab were only able to test fire the weapon after some form of manipulation, authorities have said.

The case was investigated by Kansas City police and forwarded to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker’s office. Upon review of the events, prosecutors concluded that White was an “innocent bystander” and a victim who had been attacked by Mosley.

Prosecutors said the deadly shooting, which was captured by area surveillance, began shortly after Mosley was ejected from the Marriott Hotel at 1213 Wyandotte St. for “odd behavior,” including making statements about people in the area who were bothering him. After leaving, Mosley allegedly hijacked a golf cart driven by a United American Security officer, and directed the guard at gunpoint to drive toward White.

Authorities have said Mosley got off the golf cart and attacked White as the security guard ran away and phoned police. Responding officers came upon the men as they were fighting.

Prosecutors declined to pursue criminal charges against the officers, saying the actions of Mosley presented an imminent threat to the officers and others. They also concluded the killing of White was lawful, saying the officers “had only a few seconds to make a determination of what was transpiring” and they are “not legally responsible for the death.”

The civil case against the police department and others was brought in June 2021 on the three-year anniversary of the shooting. In court papers, attorneys for White’s family contended that police officers acted recklessly, firing their service weapons toward White during a hostage situation as he was being used as a “human shield” by Mosley.

In a statement Thursday, Officer Donna Drake, a spokeswoman for Kansas City police, said police shootings are difficult for “all involved including members of the police department.”

“Any loss of life is tragic and our hearts go out to the family involved,” Drake said. “In regard to the lawsuit filed in this incident, we participated and sought a resolution. We reached a resolution and continue to wish those involved the best.”