Family of man in mental health crisis killed by ex-Olathe cop to get settlement
A settlement has been reached in a federal wrongful death lawsuit that alleged an Olathe police officer used excessive force when he shot and killed a man experiencing a mental health crisis in 2022.
Family of 27-year-old Brandon Lynch filed the lawsuit last year, claiming a former Olathe police officer escalated a confrontation with him on New Years Eve in 2022.
The case was settled July 23 in U.S. District Court in Kansas. District Judge Julie A. Robinson approved the settlement of an undisclosed amount, online court records show.
Lynch’s family and their attorneys did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Maria Varnas was overcome with grief after her son was shot to death in the hallway of his home. Outraged, she previously told The Star she sought justice after “the state killed her son.”
The shooting
Police were called to Lynch’s home just after 11 p.m. Dec. 31, 2022, after an altercation with his sister, who told dispatchers that he had a history of schizophrenia and was in crisis at the time.
Two officers responded, including former Olathe police officer Connor Thompson. Both officers had previous contact with Lynch and knew of his mental health issues, according to court documents.
Body camera footage of the incident was shown at a press conference on May 17, 2023, where Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe said the shooting was justified under Kansas law.
The footage from the December altercation shows an officer speaking with Lynch through an open bedroom door. Lynch is visibly agitated and the officer sees him holding a stun gun and a knife.
The encounter then moves into the family’s living room, where other officers join in telling Lynch to drop the weapons. The footage shows Lynch continue to argue about why he would be arrested, and officers in the video warn him that if he advances without dropping the weapons, he will be shot.
An officer then attempts to use a Taser to subdue Lynch twice, unsuccessfully, the video shows. At one point, Lynch tells the officers to shoot him. Then, as he takes two steps forward, Lynch tells them a final time, “Get out of my house.”
Thompson then shoots Lynch, who was holding a knife, three times before the video cuts off.
“It is my determination that the officer properly used deadly force in this incident and will not be facing charges,” Howe said at the May press conference.
At the time, Lynch’s family and their attorneys at the Cannezzaro Marvel law firm said they were “immensely disappointed” in Howe’s decision.
Judge refused to dismiss case
A federal judge ruled in October last year that the case would not be dismissed because there was enough evidence presented by the plaintiff for the court to consider whether there had been a violation of Fourth Amendment rights.
The judge also denied a motion to dismiss the lawsuit on the basis of qualified immunity, finding Thompson potentially liable for civil action despite his position as a police officer.
While Lynch did not comply with police officer’s orders to drop the knife, Lynch did not make any hostile motions toward the officers, Varnas claimed in the lawsuit. Lynch was 12 to 15 feet from the officers when he took “two slow steps” and Thompson fired at him, according to court documents.
The judge’s order, referencing the complaint, said officers may have failed to de-escalate the situation and that there was “a plausible claim that Officer Thompson recklessly or deliberately brought about the need to use deadly force.”
“To state a claim of excessive force under the Fourth Amendment, a plaintiff must show both that a “seizure” occurred and that the seizure was “unreasonable,” the judge said in the October 2024 ruling. “There is no argument here that Lynch was not seized. Thus, the Court must consider whether the seizure was unreasonable.” The court did not have time to make a determination on whether the seizure was unreasonable before a settlement was agreed upon.
On a second count in the civil lawsuit, the judge said there was enough evidence presented by the plaintiff for the court to consider whether the city of Olathe had properly trained its officers.
Attorneys for Thompson and the city of Olathe have not yet responded to requests for comment.
Thompson became employed at the police department in Kent, Washington, outside of Seattle, as a probationary lateral police officer on Sept. 3, 2024, The Star previously reported.
Thompson moved from Olathe to the Seattle area in summer 2024, having resigned from the Olathe Police Department after five years as an officer.
A grieving family
The settlement of an unknown amount will go to Lynch’s mother after the 14-month legal battle.
Lynch’s family said they were confused why the encounter had to end in his death after police had been to the home numerous times over the years.
In their lawsuit, Lynch’s family stressed the need for law enforcement to receive proper training to handle someone experiencing severe mental distress.
Previous reporting by The Star’s Eric Adler, Katie Moore and Ilana Arougheti contributed to this story.
This story was originally published July 26, 2025 at 4:20 PM.
CORRECTION: This story has been corrected to reflect the fact that while a judge refused to dismiss the case last year, the court did not make a decision on whether Thompson had violated Lynch’s Fourth Amendment rights before a settlement was reached.
