Police officer facing wrongful death lawsuit was given 'valor' awards for fatal shooting

A former Kansas police officer whom prosecutors declined to charge in a shooting death of a man with a known history of mental health crises was twice presented top “valor” awards for his actions during the fatal encounter.

A former Kansas police officer whom prosecutors declined to charge in the 2022 shooting death of a man with a known history of mental health crises was twice presented top “valor” awards by law enforcement groups for his actions during the fatal encounter.

The ceremonies stand in sharp contrast to the federal wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Brandon Lynch, 27, a year ago.

One of the commendations, a “Gold Award for Uncommon Valor” presented by the Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police on May 1, 2024, was handed out two days before the family filed its suit against the officer, Conner Thompson, and the city of Olathe.

In the complaint filed in the District of Kansas, Lynch’s family claims Thompson “unnecessarily escalated the situation” and applied an “unreasonable use of excessive force” that failed to consider proper crisis intervention training.

Details of the awards — the first of which was given to Thompson by the Kansas City Metropolitan Area Chiefs and Sheriffs Association in November 2023 — have not been previously reported. A detailed review of the awards shows that Thompson and his then-partner were honored for what police say occurred on the night Lynch was fatally shot, New Year’s Eve in 2022.