KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The family of a teen killed by Overland Park police last year has settled a civil lawsuit against the city for $2.3 million.
17-year-old John Albers was killed in January 2018 when Overland Park police were responding to call about a suicidal male. Dashcam video shows officers were walking up to the home when Albers backed the minivan out of the garage. One officer then draws his gun and fires twice, striking Albers.
The officer who shot Albers was not criminally charged but was named in the civil suit, along with the City of Overland Park.
Albers's parents, Steve and Sheila Albers, said in a statement that they hope this tragedy serves to prevent similar incidents.
"We will continue to focus our efforts at making Overland Park a safer place to raise a family through our work with JOCO United. JOCO United seeks to improve Crisis Intervention Team training when officers encounter citizens in mental distress and to expand transparency of public agencies by allowing access to information in police shootings," said the Albers in a statement.
The family's attorney Michael C. Rader said the pivotal point in the case came in federal court when a judge overruled the defendants motion to dismiss the suit. The judge said that a reasonable jury could find the officer's use of lethal force was unreasonable.
