(WATE)
From WATE: U.S. Congressman Tim Burchett (R-Knoxville) is facing a lawsuit for his social media posts in the aftermath of the shooting at the
(WATE)
From WATE: U.S. Congressman Tim Burchett (R-Knoxville) is facing a lawsuit for his social media posts in the aftermath of the shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade last month, according to Kansas City ABC affiliate KMBC.
One woman was killed and roughly two dozen others were injured when gunfire sent hundreds of people scrambling for cover in downtown Kansas City on Feb. 14. Burchett posted a photo of man detained at the scene on Feb. 15 and wrote, “one of the Kansas City Chiefs victory parade shooters has been identified as an illegal alien.”
The man in the photo shared by Burchett was Denton Loudermill, who is neither a suspect in the shooting nor an undocumented immigrant. Loudermill was briefly detained in the area but has not been charged with a crime. Three people have been charged in relation to the shooting.
Burchett’s post remained on X, the platform formally known as Twitter, for several days before being deleted. He wrote that the post was based on “multiple, incorrect news reports” but a disclaimer added by X users noted that the media did not report that Loudermill was a suspect in the shooting.
Loudermill has now filed a federal lawsuit against Burchett alleging invasion of privacy and defamatory representations. It claims that Loudermill has received death threats and has suffered ongoing mental distress and anxiety. He is seeking a jury trial and monetary damages.
(WATE)