Kansas Rep. Coleman was just holding a cellphone. That’s all Donnie Sanders had, too
We now know that when Kansas state Rep. Aaron Coleman jumped out of his car after leading a state trooper in a pursuit along Interstate 70 near Lawrence last November, he was holding nothing more than a cellphone.
Lucky for him, Highway Patrol trooper Michael Hamilton showed good judgment and restraint — and didn’t shoot.
Donnie Sanders didn’t have that kind of luck. He, too, was unarmed when he encountered Kansas City police officer Blayne Newton in 2020. Within minutes, Newton fired five shots, striking Sanders at least three times and killing him. Sanders had made a motion as if he had a gun, the officer claimed. The only item found in the dead Black man’s possession? A cellphone — like the one white Rep. Coleman had.
When you’re a Black man, you can’t help but recognize the contrast.
The Kansas lawmaker, who has a litany of behavioral and legal issues to address, was cited for traffic violations and given a court date to face charges. Cameron Lamb and Terrance Bridges weren’t afforded the same luxury. They were both African Americans killed by police officers. They weren’t a threat when they were fatally shot. And there are other unarmed Black men in our area and nationwide who have been killed by peace officers in recent years.
Lamb was mortally wounded within nine seconds of his encounter with then-Kansas City police detective Eric DeValkenaere almost three years ago. He had been involved in a road rage incident with a girlfriend prior to his death. Police claimed he was armed during the 2019 confrontation with the officer, but Jackson County prosecutors disputed that during DeValkenaere’s bench trial last year.
Jackson County Circuit Court Presiding Judge J. Dale Youngs found the former detective guilty of involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action. DeValkenaere appealed and remains free on bond. Prosecutors want him to serve nine years in prison.
Bridges was a Chicago native who relocated here from the Windy City with his girlfriend to escape gun violence there. Kansas City police officer Dylan Pifer began chasing him on foot while responding to a call about a carjacking in May 2019. Within 30 seconds, Bridges was dead. And, as you might guess, he did not have a weapon and did not attack Pifer, as the officer suggested.
Trooper Hamilton should be commended for reminding law enforcement officials everywhere that it is possible to apprehend suspects — even when they’re behaving erratically — without killing them. Aaron Coleman, the troubled lawmaker, should be thankful he’s alive.
