Overland Park says investigation of teen’s 2018 fatal police shooting will be released

More than three years after 17-year-old John Albers was fatally shot by an on-duty Overland Park police officer, city officials say a redacted report detailing the investigation of the officer’s actions will soon be released publicly.

The report, assembled by an investigative team in Johnson County charged with reviewing officer-involved shootings, is scheduled to be released sometime this week, according to a statement shared by City of Overland Park spokesman Sean Reilly on Monday night. The Albers family will be given the chance to review the report before it is publicly shared, the statement said.

The city acknowledged in its statement pending legal challenges brought by the Albers family and others around Kansas City seeking the release of the report. It also pointed to “misinformation” surrounding the report and the “erosion of public trust” in the years that have passed since Albers’ death.

“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 city statement said.

In January 2018, Albers was shot six times by Clayton Jenison, a former officer with Overland Park, after police were called to the family home to check on the teenager’s well being. He was backing the family van out of the driveway when the officer opened fire.

A month later, Johnson County Prosecutor Steve Howe announced that the shooting was justified after a multi-jurisdictional investigation concluded because the officer reasonably feared for his life.

The city later offered Jenison a $70,000 severance agreement, which was signed days after Johnson County prosecutors announced they would not charge him. Jenison’s severance agreement was later the subject of a lawsuit launched by The Star after the records were initially denied by the city.

According to the city, the report that will be released this week has been redacted in an effort to balance the privacy of those interviewed by investigators while offering “sufficient transparency to restore the public’s trust.” Among the information to be excluded, according to the city, are the names of witnesses, autopsy results, death scene photos and other medical records.

In the years since Albers was killed, the family and area social justice advocates have heavily criticized the actions of law enforcement and public officials. The Albers family also filed a civil suit against the officer and the city.

News of the report’s release also came the same day a social justice organization began calling publicly for the removal of Overland Park Police Chief Frank Donchez. The organization’s leaders are accusing Donchez of misleading the public about the Albers case.