Parson on KC parade shooting defamation suit: ‘We are not going to target innocent people’
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
Gov. Mike Parson said Thursday that a man falsely accused by politicians on social media of being a shooter at the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl parade was an innocent man who was unfairly targeted.
"We are not going to target innocent people in this state," Parson said of Olathe, Kansas, man Denton Loudermill. "This gentleman did nothing wrong whatsoever, other than he went to a parade and he drank beer and he was Hispanic. That's all."
One person was killed when a shooting broke out at the end of the parade celebrating the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl win in February. Social media accounts shared a photo of a detained Loudermill, falsely saying he was a suspect in the shooting.
Police later said that a drunken Loudermill was merely detained for not moving fast enough and then released.
Loudermill has sued three Missouri state senators for sharing those lies online, including one representing part of Mid-Missouri -- Denny Hoskins (R-Warrensburg).
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey's office said this month that he will defend those senators against defamation.
Parson didn't say Thursday whether he would intervene to stop Bailey's participation. However, he reiterated that the senators' actions were indefensible.
"Politicians have to be responsible and have to be held to a higher standard," Parson told reporters outside his office Thursday. "When you start attacking citizens in our state and you don't get a free pass just because you're a politician, you know, no different. When I was sheriff, there are certain things you can do as sheriff, certain things. And if you cross the line, then you're held liable for those issues.
"Look, this guy did not deserve the attacks he had. I want to be clear on that. He did not deserve what happened to him. You know, he did nothing wrong whatsoever."
A spokesperson for Bailey's office focused on the jurisdictional aspect of the case, which was brought in federal court.
"The State has an interest in ensuring that a remote federal district court isn’t the final say on interpretation of Missouri law," Bailey spokesperson Madeline Sieren wrote in response to questions.
