Newly disclosed videos show Topeka police shooting and killing a Black man in 2022 after he picked up a wrench and backed away from the officers in a gas station parking lot, contradicting the narrative authorities used to justify the officers’ actions.
The Topeka Police Department, Kansas Bureau of Investigation and Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay have issued public statements that say police killed Taylor Lowery when he advanced toward them with a knife.
Da’Mabrius Duncan, as the mother of Lowery’s child and the administrator of his estate, filed a wrongful death lawsuit in August and amended it this month to name Topeka police officers Malcolm Gillum, Justin Good and Bradley Netherton, Sgt. Scott McEntire, Detective Alex Wall and the city of Topeka as defendants.
LaRonna Lassiter Saunders, an attorney and advocate for the family, provided officer body camera videos to Kansas Reflector at the family’s request after a federal magistrate rejected the city’s arguments to keep the videos confidential.
The videos show Good responding to a domestic disturbance call at Lowery’s residence at 12:38 a.m. Oct. 13, 2022. When Good and another officer confront Lowery, who is holding a butcher knife, Lowery runs from police, gets in an SUV and drives to a nearby Kwik Shop gas station.
Good signals dispatch for aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer.
Lowery drove to a Kwik Shop a half-mile from his house with McEntire and Wall in pursuit. According to the amended complaint, which is based in part on undisclosed surveillance video, Lowery approaches another vehicle in the parking lot while holding a knife and socket wrench. Wall signals dispatch for a carjacking.
McEntire and Wall, who weren’t wearing body cameras, exit their car with guns drawn and fire at Lowery as he runs from them, the amended complaint says. Lowery isn’t hit by the gunfire, but falls and drops both the knife and wrench as Good, Gillum and Netherton arrive.
The cameras worn by Good, Gillum and Netherton show McEntire shove Lowery, who reaches down to grab the wrench. As Lowery takes a step back with the wrench in his hand, the officers shoot at him 34 times.
