Man files lawsuit against Congressman over accusations of being shooter at Chiefs rally
Denton Loudermill filed a lawsuit against Congressman Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) over accusations of being a shooter at the Chiefs rally outside Union Station.
By Greg Dailey
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KANSAS CITY, Missouri (KCTV) — An Olathe man has filed a defamation lawsuit against a Tennessee Congressman in light of social media posts connected with the Chiefs rally shooting outside Union Station.
Denton Loudermill alleged that Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) accused him of being an “illegal alien” and a “shooter” at the mass shooting that left one woman dead and several others injured on the afternoon of Feb. 14.
“The false identification of Plaintiff as an ‘illegal alien’ and ‘shooter’ has caused [Loudermill] in Kansas to receive death threats and to suffer mental distress from having been exposed to public view and more specifically to experience periods of anxiety, agitation, and sleep disruption and such damages are likely to continue into the future,” the lawsuit stated. “The acts and conduct of Defendant caused Plaintiff to suffer injuries and actual damages including mental distress, sleeplessness, anxiety, and agitation…as well as emotional suffering, humiliation, embarrassment, insult, and inconvenience.”
As police responded to the shooting on Valentine’s Day, Loudermill “tried to comprehend what was happening and what he should do,” the lawsuit stated. The court document indicated that as Loudermill started to go under police tape to leave the area, police stopped him and told him that he was moving too slowly. Then, they sat him on the curb and handcuffed him, the lawsuit stated.
Loudermill sat on the curb for about 10 minutes, during which time people took photos and began to circulate those images on social media, according to the lawsuit. Police then walked him a couple of blocks away, took off his handcuffs and told Loudermill he was free to leave. No citation or charge was given, the lawsuit stated.
Burchett is one of the people who shared one of the images of Burchett on Twitter. He removed it five days later.
Days after the parade, Loudermill addressed the tweets Burchett posted in an attempt to clear his name and image.
“I just want everybody to know that I’m an innocent person and whatever happened, I had no clue what was going on,” Loudermill said. “And I just want to give my condolences to the family and everybody. I want everybody to know that I am innocent. I have nothing to do with it.”
Loudermill requested a payment of $75,000 in damages and a trial, accusing Burchett of invasion of privacy by painting him in a false light.
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