No charges in fatal shooting of Donnie Sanders. Wonder why Black men fear KC police?
Watching footage of a Kansas City Police officer’s deadly arrest of Donnie Sanders, I was reminded of a scene from the 1993 movie “Menace II Society,” now a cult classic.
In a pivotal scene from the film, a character played by actor Charles Dutton is straightforward and honest about the perils of life for an African American man in urban America.
“Being a Black man in America, isn’t easy,” Dutton’s character says. “The hunt is on. And you’re the prey.”
A patrol officer identified in unredacted court documents as Blayne Newton should never have even stopped Sanders for a traffic violation. But a minor mishap behind the wheel wound up costing Sanders his life.
And that is a scary thought for Black men.
The 47-year-old father did not deserve to die. Nearly one year after Newton fatally shot Sanders during a brief foot chase near 52nd Street and Wabash Avenue, prosecutors in Jackson County announced Monday that no charges would be filed in the case.
Although prosecutors couldn’t prove Newton committed a crime, he clearly did escalate the situation just by pursuing Sanders.
“My office’s review of the March 12, 2020, fatal police shooting concluded that the evidence collected is insufficient to support charges against the officer,” Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said in a statement.
I wasn’t able to reach Sanders’ family or attorney.
But how does a run-of-the-mill traffic stop lead to the death of yet another unarmed Black man in Kansas City? And yet again, the officer involved is not held accountable.
It’s a question many have asked since Sanders died for making an illegal turn.
Traffic pursuit turned deadly
“A minor traffic violation should not result in a death sentence,” said Gwen Grant, president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Kansas City. “Donnie Sanders was unarmed and was not a threat. I feel for his family and all the families that have been victims of police violence.”
Cameron Lamb and Terrance Bridges were killed in separate police shootings in 2019. Officer Dylan Pifer was cleared of wrongdoing in the death of Bridges, who was unarmed. Lamb was shot and killed in the backyard of a home he rented by Police Detective Eric DeValkenaere, who was charged with involuntary manslaughter and awaits trial.
The Kansas City Police Department trains its officers to survive every shift, and that’s more than understandable. Policing is a tough and dangerous job. But this department’s us-versus-them mentality is costing people their lives.
The incident began when Newton spotted the SUV Sanders was driving southbound on Prospect Avenue. Newton was traveling in the opposite direction, and did not have a radar gun trained on Sanders’ SUV. The officer simply assumed the vehicle was speeding and made a U-turn to follow Sanders, who made a right turn with the left blinker on.
Sanders then turned down an alley in the 5100 block of Wabash Avenue. Within seconds, Sanders bailed from the SUV. Newton, with a gun drawn, gave chase on foot. Less than three minutes after Newton first spotted the SUV, he fired five shots. Sanders was hit three times and died of his injuries. His death was ruled a homicide by the Jackson County Medical Examiner, according to court documents.
Sanders refused to comply with verbal commands, Newton told police investigators. Sanders failed to show his hands after several warnings, court records indicate. The officer backpedaled as Sanders moved toward him with his arm extended, Newton claimed. He then fired his weapon, killing Sanders.
Newton’s statement is supported by witnesses and dashcam audio obtained from his patrol car, prosecutors contend. Sanders had something in his hand but Newton couldn’t see it, they said.
Turns out, it was a cellphone.
“There is no justice,” Grant said.
Officer with knee in pregnant woman’s back
Newton has been a patrol police officer for five years, according to the Kansas City Police Department. He was mandated to undergo psychiatric counseling after shooting Sanders. Months later, he was captured on smartphone video allegedly placing his knee on the back of a pregnant Black woman during an arrest. Two weeks later, Deja Stallings of Kansas City delivered her baby in an emergency C-section.
Kansas City police were still investigating the alleged assault, prosecutors said this week. But police officials said no complaints have been filed in the case. When asked how many grievances have been filed against Newton with the department’s Office of Community Complaints, officials declined to comment.
“The fact of the matter is that the State of Missouri, through its Sunshine Law, simply disagrees with your assertion the public has the right to know,” Kansas City Police Capt. David Jackson said. “This is protected personnel information.”
Kansas Citians do have the right to know if there is a problem officer patrolling city streets.
This was Newton’s first line-of-duty shooting death, prosecutors said. But will it be his last?
This story was originally published March 2, 2021 at 3:30 PM.
