The post shows Denton Loudermill in handcuffs at the parade and calls him an “illegal alien.” The Kansas resident said he received death threats as a result of the post.
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) is being sued over a social media post incorrectly identifying a Kansas resident as the suspect in the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade shooting, a complaint filed Monday shows.
Amid the uproar over the Feb. 14 fatal shooting, Burchett posted a photo of Denton Loudermill on X, falsely saying he was one of the shooters and claiming Loudermill was an undocumented immigrant. The congressman later took down the post and admitted he was wrong.
In the complaint filed in federal court, Loudermill claims this constitutes a “false-light invasion of privacy” under Kansas state law.
Loudermill is seeking $75,000 for emotional distress because of the “highly offensive” nature of Burchett’s allegations. Burchett declined to comment to Knox News, part of the USA TODAY Network, citing the ongoing litigation.
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6 accused of shooting Super Bowl parade in Kansas City, Loudermill is not one of them
On February 14, gunfire erupted as Chiefs fans gathered in Kansas City to celebrate their team’s Super Bowl 58 victory.
The incident killed Lisa Lopez-Galvan, a mother of two and a local DJ, and injured more than 20 others.
Prosecutors believe an argument broke out between some people at the parade and one of them pulled out a firearm, leading to multiple shots being fired. A total of six people have been charged in connection with the shooting:
- Lyndell Mace, 23, Terry Young, 20, and Dominic M. Miller, 18, were charged with second-degree murder, two counts of armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon.
- A 15-year-old boy has been charged with unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action
- Two other juveniles are being held on “weapon-related and resisting arrest” charges
Prosecutors said all of the shooters have been identified and taken into custody, but they expect more charges to be filed.
Two adults charged with murder in Chiefs parade shooting
Two adults charged with murder in Chiefs parade shooting. Earlier, two juveniles were arrested on gun possession charges.
Burchett’s lawsuit claims the tweet was “false” and “widespread”
Loudermill was detained at the parade because he was suspected of being drunk in public, but he was released and police never suspected him of having anything to do with the shooting. He was also born in the United States, the filing states.
But Burchett shared a photo of him in handcuffs at the parade, with the caption “one of the shooters at the Kansas City Chiefs victory parade has been identified as an illegal alien.”
Loudermill said in his lawsuit that Burchett’s false accusations caused him mental stress and emotional distress after receiving death threats.
Burchett’s words in the post, the suit says, “were false and were widely circulated among the defendant’s followers.”
Burchett’s tweet was reposted by more than 2,000 people and interacted with by at least 4,000, Knox News previously reported.
“(Burchett) knew or should have known that his inflammatory social media post would be seen and read across the country, including in Kansas, where the subject of his post was a resident,” the lawsuit states.
Who is Congressman Tim Burchett?
Tim Burchett is a congressman representing eastern Tennessee, including Knoxville and Maryville.
He has been in office since January 2019, having previously served as Knox County’s mayor for eight years.
The Republican was one of eight who voted to remove former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, saying he received a condescending comment from McCarthy that swayed his vote.
He has been vocal about his concerns about the border, withholding his vote on a government spending bill last month “unless we completely close our southern border.”
Contributed by: Minnah Arshad; USA TODAY