Kansas City, Kansas – A Kansas man is pursuing legal action against Rep. Tim Burchett, a Republican from Tennessee, for falsely identifying him as an undocumented immigrant and one of the shooters in the tragic Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade incident that turned fatal in the past month.
The lawsuit filed by Denton Loudermill Jr.’s attorneys alleges that Loudermill suffered damages exceeding $75,000 due to a misleading representation of him on Burchett’s personal social media account. Loudermill was wrongfully labelled as an ‘alien,’ ‘illegal alien,’ and ‘shooter,’ which circulated widely among Burchett’s followers.
Burchett had posted an image of Loudermill on social media, initially identifying him as one of the shooters at the Kansas City Chiefs parade and implying he was an undocumented immigrant. Despite the post being shared over 21,000 times and viewed 7.2 million times, Burchett later admitted the misidentification in a new post, still insinuating Loudermill’s involvement.
Amid Loudermill’s distress and receiving death threats following the posts, the lawsuit seeks a trial by jury and compensation for the dissemination of falsehoods under a Kansas privacy law. Burchett’s spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment, while Loudermill’s attorney chose not to disclose a specific dollar amount sought in damages.
As per the lawsuit, Loudermill, a resident of Olathe, Kansas, attended the Chiefs’ victory parade and was mistakenly caught in an image with handcuffs as police responded to gunshots during the event. Although he was uninvolved in any criminal activities and released without charges, his photo made the rounds on social media and eventually ended up on Burchett’s page.
Authorities have charged individuals connected to the shooting incident at the parade, including Dominic M. Miller and Lyndell Mays with various offenses, leading to the death of one woman and injuring more than 20 others. A third person, Terry J. Young, was also charged in connection with the incident. Additionally, three juveniles are facing charges in family court related to the case.
Burchett, known for his focus on immigration issues, has been targeted by the lawsuit for perpetuating false claims, drawing attention to the ongoing conversation about immigration and crime in the United States. Representing Tennessee’s 2nd Congressional District, which encompasses Knoxville, Burchett is seeking re-election in the upcoming year after securing a majority of votes in the previous election.