New video critical of Overland Park police shooting of teen, Johnson County investigation

A new video examining the 2018 Overland Park police shooting of John Albers and the investigation that followed was released Tuesday by The Washington Post.

At times damning, the video concludes police and prosecutors made several egregious missteps.

Policing experts interviewed in The Post’s nearly 20-minute documentary were critical of the investigation conducted by Johnson County’s Officer-Involved Shooting Investigation Team (OISIT), saying it favored former Overland Park officer Clayton Jenison, was rushed and “missed critical steps.”

The experts noted a scene diagram and lab reports were not included in the 498-page case file, which focused heavily on 17-year-old Albers and not Jenison.

The Post’s video also included a 3D reconstruction showing Jenison was to the side of the van and not directly in its path when he fired at Albers.

“It is incredibly difficult to watch, it re-traumatizes me,” Sheila Albers, John’s mom, said of watching the film.

“Simultaneously it’s affirming to what we have been saying all along and that is there was a false narrative created by OPPD and the DA to paint a picture in favor of the officer. And to watch the facts laid out in such an objective way and then to hear law enforcement experts from across the country who have years of experience in these investigations to publicly say the investigation was done so poorly, I am hoping creates momentum for change.”

Sheila Albers said she would like to see OISIT become more transparent, including making its policies and procedures publicly available, and wants the DA’s office to release more information when announcing charging decisions on police shootings. In her son’s case, Johnson County DA Steve Howe released a three-page “Summary of facts and findings.”

Since at least September 2021, the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office have been investigating the possibility of a civil rights violation.

Melody Webb, a spokeswoman for the DA’s office, said many conclusions in The Post’s story were “factually incorrect,” but that they were “unable to comment about this case while a federal investigation is ongoing.”

The City of Overland Park is aware of The Post’s story, spokeswoman Meg Ralph said. The Overland Park Police Department has not responded to a request for comment.

Fatal shooting

Police responded to a welfare check for the teen on Jan. 20, 2018. In The Post’s video, Sheila Albers said her son had been struggling in the last year of his life, and especially the last month.

“Huge ups, huge downs,” she said.

As two officers arrived, Albers began backing out of the driveway in the family’s minivan. Jenison did not identify himself as an officer. He stepped behind the van, moved away and then opened fire.

Jenison fired 13 shots, striking Albers six times.

Howe declined to file charges against Jenison, saying the officer was in fear for his life.

The city paid Jenison a $70,000 severance and reported to the state police licensing agency that he left voluntarily “under ordinary circumstances.”

The case prompted questions about the use of lethal force, transparency in Overland Park and the integrity of Johnson County’s Officer Involved Shooting Investigation Team. Experts previously told The Star that detectives did not appear to consider the shooting might not be justified. Former Johnson County DA Paul Morrison said it was “not a good shoot.”

This story was originally published August 23, 2022 at 2:47 PM.

Katie Moore

The Kansas City Star

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Katie Moore was an enterprise and accountability reporter for The Star. She covered justice issues, including policing, prison conditions and the death penalty. She is a University of Kansas graduate and began her career as a reporter in 2015 in her hometown of Topeka, Kansas.