City in Kansas paid $625,000 settlement in shooting by Kent cop

The city of Olathe, Kansas paid a settlement of $625,000 to the family of a man fatally shot in 2022 by one of its officers who now works for the Kent Police Department.

Documents obtained by The Olathe Reporter July 31 show the city paid the settlement amount to the family of the man shot and killed by an officer during a “mental health crisis,” according to an article by The Olathe Reporter.

U.S. District Court Judge Julie Robinson approved the wrongful death settlement July 23 between Officer Conner Thompson and the city of Olathe with Maria Varnas, the mother of Brandon Lynch, 27, shot Dec. 31, 2022 inside his home.

Varnas dropped counts claiming the use of excessive force and violation of the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments — unlawful search and seizure and prohibition of the use