Officer under Wrongful Death Lawsuit Honored for Deadly Shooting with Valor Awards
Former Kansas Officer Honored with Valor Awards, Despite 2022 Fatal Shooting
A former police officer, Conner Thompson, who faced no charges for the 2022 shooting death of Brandon Lynch, a man known for mental health crises, was recognized with two "valor" awards by law enforcement groups.
These commendations, presented by the Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police and the Kansas City Metropolitan Area Chiefs and Sheriffs Association, were given for Thompson's actions during the fatal encounter, which occurred on New Year's Eve in 2022.
The awards stand in stark contrast to the federal wrongful death lawsuit filed by Lynch's family in 2023. The family claims Thompson unnecessarily escalated the situation and used excessive force in violation of proper crisis intervention training.
The Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police granted Thompson a "Gold Award for Uncommon Valor" in May 2024, just two days before the family filed their lawsuit against Thompson and the city of Olathe. Earlier, in November 2023, Thompson received the same award from the Kansas City Metropolitan Area Chiefs and Sheriffs Association. Details of these awards have not been previously reported.
According to the groups' narratives of the events, Thompson and his partner responded to a disturbance at a home where a woman reported her brother had assaulted her. Upon arrival, the officers instructed the woman to wait outside while they entered and confronted the man, armed with a knife and Taser. When the man failed to comply with orders, Thompson's partner attempted to use a Taser, but it proved ineffective.
The man continued to advance towards the officers, and Thompson fired his weapon, striking the man. Thompson is said to have subsequently provided life-saving measures. Neither narrative mentions Lynch by name or explains that a dispatcher informed officers about Lynch's mental health crisis before they arrived.
Other officers recognized by the Metropolitan Area Chiefs and Sheriffs Association during the same year for similar "valor" awards had acted in situations involving saving suicidal people, helping gunshot victims, and assisting an infant with respiratory issues.
The law firm representing Lynch's family declined to comment on the lawsuit or Thompson's awards. The president of the Metropolitan Area Chiefs and Sheriffs Association did not respond to a request for comment.
Dennis Shaw, executive director of the Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police, stated that Thompson was cleared by the District Attorney, and the narrative the association shared had been presented to them for consideration.
Recently, Narene Stokes, whose son was fatally shot by Kansas City, Missouri, police in 2013, expressed similar feelings when she learned the officers involved in her son's death had received awards for their actions. The award was later rescinded.
Police bodycam footage was made public following Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe's announcement that his office would not be charging Officer Thompson due to Lynch's actions leading to his death and the officers' response to his aggressiveness throughout the encounter.
Despite the federal wrongful death lawsuit filed by Brandon Lynch's family, the former Kansas Officer, Conner Thompson, was honored with two "valor" awards by the Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police and the Kansas City Metropolitan Area Chiefs and Sheriffs Association. These awards, given for Thompson's actions during the New Year's Eve 2022 encounter that resulted in Lynch's death, were given in light of the incident, where Thompson responded to a mental health crisis and a disturbed individual armed with a knife and Taser. The awards also come in contrast to claims made in the lawsuit that Thompson unnecessarily escalated the situation and used excessive force.
