The Olathe man pictured in handcuffs in widely circulated social media images at the Super Bowl parade is suing a Tennessee congressman who reposted the pictures of him.
The suit filed by Denton Loudermill, Jr., says the lawmaker’s social media posts falsely identified him as an “illegal alien” and as a participant in the shooting that left one person dead and more than a score injured.
Loudermill, through his attorneys, filed the suit in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kansas, on Monday.
Lawsuit aimed at Tennessee congressman
The lawsuit alleges that posts on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) by Republican U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett amplified defamatory and false information that began circulating once police handcuffed Loudermill and had him sit on a curb as they cleared the area immediately after the shooting outside Union Station on Feb. 14.
Loudermill was born and raised in the United States, was uninvolved in the rally shooting and did not know the people who were eventually arrested and charged, the suit says.
Police released him after about 10 minutes, and he faces no charges, the suit adds.
Nevertheless, his image in cuffs was reposted and “liked” tens of thousands of times, the suit says.
After Burchett reposted the picture with his comments, it received 21,600 re-posts and 7.2 million views.
The attention upended Loudermill’s life, the suit says
Loudermill received death threats and has had anxiety, sleep disruption and mental distress in the incident’s wake, according to the suit.
The suit also mentions a Feb. 18 post from Burchett on X explaining why the congressman removed his previous posts.
“It has come to my attention that in one of my previous posts, one of the shooters was identified as an illegal alien. This was based on multiple incorrect news reports stating that. I have removed the post,” said the later post post, an image of which is embedded in the complaint.
However, the lawsuit notes that the post leaves open the allegation that Loudermill was a shooter.
Below is a copy of Loudermill’s complaint.
Loading...
Reload document 
Open in new tab Six people are now charged in connection to shooting
The parade shooting took place near Union Station as the celebration was winding down.
Gunfire erupted during an argument among some teens and young men, with multiple shots fired into the crowded area.
The shooting left one dead — local DJ Lisa Lopez-Galvan of Shawnee — and numerous other people were injured as they ran from the area. Six people have since been charged.
A “quiet person” who was there to celebrate the Chiefs
The suit describes Loudermill, a car wash employee, as “a quiet person who strived to do well and be a positive and contributing member of his African-American family, a family with deep and long roots in his Kansas City community.”
Loudermill had been celebrating back-to-back Chiefs Super Bowl wins with some 500,000 parade goers when the shooting rang out. He “froze” at the first shots as he tried to comprehend what he should do, according to the suit.
When police began clearing people out and taping off the area, he tried to leave. The suit said he was detained as he tried to exit under the tape by officers who said he was moving too slowly.
He was then cuffed and made to sit on a curb, attracting the attention of spectators who began to take his picture and circulate it, the suit said. After about 10 minutes, police walked him a couple of blocks away, uncuffed him and told him he could leave, the suit said.
Loudermill is seeking a jury trial
The reposting and false identification of him as a shooter by the Republican congressman was done in “deliberate indifference and conscious disregard” for his civil rights, according to the suit.
The petition specifies no dollar amount, but notes Loudermill’s damages would amount to more than $75,000.
It asks for a jury trial and punitive or exemplary damages “in an amount sufficient to punish the defendant or deter the defendant and others from like conduct in the future.”
Burchett’s office does not comment on pending litigation, said his communications director, Rachel Partlow.
Keep reading: Chiefs fan from Olathe misidentified in viral social media posts as one of rally shooters wants his life back
