Body camera footage of Kansas standoff that led to police killing 2 year old released

Officials in Joplin have released body camera recordings from a standoff in Kansas where a police sniper killed a 2-year-old girl, whose family later received a $1.5 million settlement.

Footage indicates that officers knew the girl was near her father, Eli Crawford, during the March 2022 incident in Baxter Springs, in southeast Kansas. Police from Joplin had been called in to assist the Baxter Springs Police Department.

Clessie Lynn Jane Crawford can be heard in the background during a phone call with negotiators.

“Baby’s close to him,” one of them says after Eli Crawford hangs up on them.

An officer calls back and continues talking to Eli Crawford. The officer asks, “How can we get Clessie out of there safely?”

Seven seconds later, Eli Crawford says, “They just shot my baby in the head.”

He apparently killed himself soon after.

In January, the City of Joplin declined to immediately release the videos after The Star sent in a records request. City Clerk Holly Nagy cited litigation filed by the sniper to redact his name from recordings or reports that can become public in Missouri once a case is closed.

That case is ongoing, but officials later changed course and released videos from five officers who were at the scene.

‘Took his shot’

Around 7:15 p.m. on March 26, 2022, Baxter Springs police responded to a domestic disturbance at Crawford’s home.

Eli Crawford, 37, opened the door and then shut it after seeing police, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation said. Clessie reopened the door and her mother Taylor Shutte ran outside. The KBI in a news release said Crawford stepped outside and fatally shot Shutte, 27.

He also shot at four responding officers, the KBI said. Police retreated and he continued shooting. Additional law enforcement responded, including Joplin police’s SWAT team.

Body camera footage shows several calls with Crawford, who wants his sister to be allowed to come get Clessie.

When the negotiator tells Crawford he wants everyone to come out of this safe, Crawford says, “I don’t want to come out of this safe, bro. I’m dead. I want my baby taken care of.”

He makes several threats and says he has hand grenades. The KBI said Crawford fired more than 90 rounds throughout the standoff.

After he hangs up one of the calls, officers talk about how Eli Crawford has lost people close to him, several in violent or tragic ways.

During another call, Crawford appears to fire shots off and says, “I have plenty more where that came from.”

Two minutes later, the Joplin sniper who was positioned nearby in a wooded area fired into the trailer, killing Clessie.

In another video, a second sniper joins officers in an armored vehicle and says the other sniper “took his shot.”

“As soon as that happened, probably five seconds later, there was another shot and a body hit. Like it sounded like impact.”

Eventually teams of law enforcement move in, sidestepping Shutte’s body and prying their way into the trailer. Inside they discover the bodies of Crawford and his daughter.

“Got a child down,” an officer says.

“Oh f---.”

Aftermath of shooting

In September, a review completed by then-Cherokee County Attorney Nathan Coleman ended with a decision to clear the police sniper who fired the fatal shot of criminal wrongdoing.

Considered by county prosecutors were Kansas laws governing self-defense as well as reckless actions that end in a homicide. Prosecutors concluded the sniper reasonably mistook Clessie for her 37-year-old father given the conditions of the night.

At roughly 3 feet tall, the sniper did not expect Clessie to be elevated in the camper trailer. Lights inside the trailer against the darkness of night presented the sniper with silhouettes. And the shot was taken shortly after the sniper reported a volley of gunfire from the window he was assigned to watch, according to the county attorney’s report.

Ballistics and scene reconstruction determined Clessie likely stood on a small couch when she was shot. The sniper immediately saw evidence of the shot hitting a target and believed Crawford was the person struck, according to the county attorney’s report.

In March, Clessie’s family filed a federal lawsuit claiming her civil rights were violated when she was killed by police.

The City of Joplin, City of Baxter Springs, Cherokee County and Sniper One were listed as defendants.

The lawsuit, filed in the District of Kansas, said the girl “had done nothing wrong, had not violated any law, and was not suspected of any wrongdoing whatsoever,” and that the defendants violated her “clearly established fundamental civil rights.”

Those rights include the right to be free from unreasonable seizure, the right to bodily integrity, the right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment, and the right to not be deprived of life without due process.

In November, a judge approved a $1.5 million settlement. Court documents said Joplin was responsible for paying $1.4 million while Baxter Springs and Cherokee County each paid $50,000.

Kansas City attorney Tom Porto represented Clessie’s grandfather, who was also Shutte’s father. Porto, who viewed evidence from the scene, said he wished he could forget what he had seen.

“This is truly one of the saddest cases I’ve ever worked on in my life,” he said.

Attorney Grant Boyd represented Clessie’s grandmother, who was also Crawford’s mother.

“We are glad that there was some sense of justice in this horrific tragedy,” Boyd said in a statement.

He also said an extended family member referred to the girl as Clesslynn, which has been used in previous news stories, but her name was Clessie.

The Star asked each of the jurisdictions for comment on the settlement and if any changes to policies or training had been made as a result of the shooting.

Mike Seck, an attorney for the City of Baxter Springs, said the city was not involved in the shooting and “was sued only because the event started in our City.” He referred questions to Joplin.

Joplin City Attorney Peter Edwards said as a rule, the City does not comment on pending or past litigation.

An attorney for Cherokee County did not respond to a request for comment.