After the shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade on Wednesday that left one person dead and 22 injured, U.S. Representative Tim Burchett (R-TN) circulated a photo of a man in handcuffs surrounded by police officers and claimed on X: “One of the Kansas City Chiefs victory parade suspects has been identified as an illegal Alien.”
I urge this man, who is an American who had nothing to do with the shooting, to sue the hell out of Rep. Tim Burchett. pic.twitter.com/5e1kIt0Pi0
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) February 18, 2024
Criminal defense attorney and former federal prosecutor Ron Filipkowski, editor-in-chief of Meidas Touch, amplified Burchett’s post on X and wrote: “I urge this man, who is an American who had nothing to do with the shooting, to sue the hell out of Rep. Tim Burchett.”
Filipkowski also circulated an image of the American-born citizen shown in Burchett’s post. His name is Denton Loudermilk, Jr, and he had reportedly been detained for alcohol overindulgence, not violence.
This guy was all over right-wing social media as an “illegal immigrant” who was supposedly the shooter at the Super Bowl parade. He was just an American who had too much to drink, nothing to do with shooting. They will wreck the lives and smear anyone to feed their agenda. https://t.co/hODX0c1rB9
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) February 18, 2024
As seen below on the local ABC News channel, KMBC, the Kansas native Loudermilk is trying to clear his name with attorney and justice advocate LaRonna Lassiter Saunders.
Denton Loudermilk Jr. Born in the USA, graduated HS in Olathe, KS. Not the shooter. Has a lawyer and now trying to clear his name. https://t.co/cGkvk4RPpH
— Just C (@CodaJustinian) February 18, 2024
Loudermilk said: “I just want to clear my name that I had nothing to do with anything.” He added: “I was just enjoying myself like everybody else.” Loudermilk was eventually released without a citation or an official arrest.
[NOTE: On Thursday, the 16th Judicial Circuit Court of Missouri announced that two juveniles were charged with gun-related offenses in relation to the shooting and resisting arrest.]
Lassiter Saunders reiterated to the press that Loudermilk didn’t do anything wrong and he did not commit a crime and yet he has “received death threats over a lie, over misinformation.” She urged the media to “get the truth out there. Help us clear his name. Help us save his life.”
Below is a photo of Loudermilk with his family.
Note: The misidentification and attempts to blame violence on undocumented migrants is not new. Associated Press reports that the name and description of a “44-year-old illegal immigrant named Sahil Omar” have been used to make similar erroneous claims after numerous mass shootings, including a December shooting in Las Vegas.