KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners has reached a settlement in the wrongful death lawsuit of Robert White in 2018.

White’s mother, Denise, filed the lawsuit on grounds that her son’s civil rights were violated when police shot him 17 times at Barney Allis Plaza.

Denise White was awarded $1.5 million in the settlement.

The lawsuit claimed Timothy Mosley used Robert White as a human shield when police arrived on the scene of an assault. Mosley was thrown out of the nearby Marriott Hotel when he approached a uniformed security guard on a golf cart. 

The security guard said Mosley held a gun to his side and demanded he drive toward a man on the plaza, later identified as Robert White.

Mosley then got off the golf cart and allegedly began to hit White with the handgun. The security guard ran away and called police.

When police arrived, officials said it wasn’t clear who had the handgun or what was going on other than a disturbance between the two men. Mosley pointed his gun directly at one of the officers, and two officers fired their weapons.

Denise White’s lawsuit also alleges Robert was not provided treatment for nearly 6 minutes after the shooting and died from his injuries. He was unarmed. Mosley also died at the scene.

“Had police responded earlier or the security handled it differently, who knows what would have happened.” William Denning, Denise’s attorney, said. “We believe there were opportunities for a different outcome for Mr. White.”

A year after the shooting in 2019, Jackson County prosecutor’s decided not to file charges against the two KCPD officers involved.

The prosecutor’s letter says the officers’ actions were justified because Mosley’s actions “imminently threatened the lives of the officers.”