KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The City of Overland Park announced Monday night it will release a report into the 2018 shooting death of John Albers by then police officer Clayton Jenison.
In a statement, the city said ongoing litigation and continuing challenges to the public’s confidence in city officials and law enforcement led to their decision to release the report.
“Continuing to withhold the Officer Involved Shooting Investigation Team report has become an obstacle to restoring the community’s trust and confidence in the City of Overland Park, its officials and the Overland Park Police Department,” the statement reads.
The announcement could mark the end of a legal battle launched earlier this year when KSHB-TV sued the city to release the report, generated by the Johnson County Officer Involved Shooting Investigative Team.
The announcement, posted on the city’s website, indicated the city plans to release the report later this week after it has consulted with the Albers' family.
Johnson County, Kansas, District Attorney Steve Howe used the report, along with other factors, in determining not to file charges against Jenison.
Despite the absence of charges, city officials determined it was in the best interest of the community that Jenison no longer serve as a police officer, reaching a $70,000 severance agreement not long after Albers death.
Earlier this month, the city acknowledged it had been subpoenaed by Department of Justice investigators as a federal Grand Jury reviews whether Albers civil rights were violated in the incident.
The announcement to release the report came on the same day the faith based social justice group MORE2 demanded the immediate firing of Overland Park Police Chief Frank Donchez at an event outside City Hall.
It also came on the same day the Overland Park City Council, in closed door meeting, decided to give long-time City Manager Bill Ebel a $10,000 raise next year.
Ebel is the man who negotiated the $70,000 payout to Jenison to resign.
Ebel was at the closed door meeting, but had left when the meeting re-opened.
As a result, he was unavailable for comment.
Overland Park Mayor Carl Gerlach said the city's decision to release the OISIT Report is the right call to stop what he called "misinformation" from being released to the public.
Gerlach also said the decision to release the OISIT Report was strictly Chief Frank Donchez's call.
The grand jury requested a lengthy list of documents be turned over to the FBI related to the Jan. 20, 2018, killing of Albers as he backed a vehicle out of the driveway at his parents’ Overland Park home.
The teen’s family has already settled a multi-million-dollar civil lawsuit regarding Albers’ death.
While the city plans to announce the report, the city says it has spent “several weeks” redacting certain information in the report, including the names of witnesses, juveniles and victims of crimes; confidential investigative techniques and personally identifiable information.
The city says information from Albers autopsy, his medical records and death scene photos will also be redacted from the full report.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
