OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — The city of Overland Park has released more information around the resignation of Police Chief Frank Donchez.

The city issued a statement Wednesday, saying it’s aware of a Monday night interaction between Donchez and Sheila Albers whose son John Albers was shot and killed by Overland Park police in 2018.

Albers sent an email to Mayor Curt Skoog and City Manager Lori Curtis Luther late Monday night, detailing the “heated exchange.”

On Wednesday, after announcing Donchez’s resignation one day before, Overland Park released a copy of Albers’ email.

Albers said she attended Monday night’s city council meeting where Donchez approached her to talk about the department’s 30×30 initiative on hiring female officers.

After a brief exchange, the Overland Park mom said she eventually told him she didn’t want to talk to someone she didn’t trust. Albers called Donchez a liar, bringing up an interview he did with FOX4 in 2019.

In the interview, which happened one year after John Albers’ death, FOX4 asked if Officer Clayton Jenison had been reprimanded or encouraged to leave the department.

Donchez said he wasn’t because he resigned a week or two after the deadly shooting.

But in 2020, Jenison’s severance revealed he signed the agreement almost a month later and his last day with Overland Park police was about two weeks after that. He also received a payout of $70,000 to leave the department. 

Albers said she pushed Donchez about his lie on Monday night, and he asked her if she had ever lied before. Albers said she had never lied in a professional setting like that.

According to her email, Donchez then replied, “I’m sure you and Steve tell everyone you were the best parents. I read the OISIT report.”

Overland Park police responded to the Albers’ home that night in January 2018 after he posted on social media indicating he might do something to harm himself. He was home alone at the time. Two of his friends called 911 for help.

On Monday night, Albers told Donchez that her son struggled with his mental health.

She alleges that Donchez replied: “And you left him in his time of need.”

That night in 2018, Jenison and another Overland Park Police officer responded to the Albers’ home to check on the teenager.

After officers arrived at the Albers’ home, the garage door opened and John Albers began backing a minivan out of the garage.

Jenison stepped toward the vehicle and told John Albers to stop. A Department of Justice investigation determined that Jenison didn’t verbally identify himself before he fired two shots into the van.

Video released by the Overland Park Police Department showed the minivan reversed past Jenison, spun around and came to a stop facing the street. The van then slowly backed toward the Albers’ home.

As the van passed Jenison a second time, he fired another 11 times into the van. The minivan rolled out of the driveway and into the driveway across the street.

An autopsy determined six of the 13 bullets from Jenison’s gun hit John Albers. He died at the scene.

The Johnson County District Attorney declined to press charges against Jenison, and the DOJ closed its investigation with no charges.

In her email Monday, Sheila Albers said she didn’t need the city to do anything; however, Donchez submitted his resignation on Tuesday.

“Whether Steve and I are the world’s worst parents or model parents is irrelevant to the changes that need to be made,” Albers said in her email.

“It is clear Donchez justifies the use of force because in his mind we failed as parents. Victim blaming at its best.

“Since CPOST did nothing and the DOJ did not charge Jenison, in Donchez’s mind he is in the clear.”

Donchez’s resignation letter is a personnel record, according to the city, and will not be released. Overland Park leaders said in a statement that he did not receive a severance package but is eligible for post-employment benefits.

Overland Park said Deputy Chief Simon Happer will serve as interim police chief, and it will begin a national search for a new police chief as soon as possible.

“Overland Park residents and businesses demand and deserve the utmost professionalism in its policing and safety in our community,” the city said in a statement. “The city will continue to focus on delivering the highest quality services.”

Albers also released a statement Wednesday:

“It is important for the community to continue to hold government accountable. Over the past year and a half, Overland Park has made strides in becoming more transparent and responsive to its citizens. Now it has the opportunity to elevate trust at the top of law enforcement by hiring a forward-thinking Chief of Police.

“Public safety has and will continue to be a hallmark of our community. I have trust in our current leadership that Overland Park will be an even stronger and healthier community in the years to come.”