KANSAS CITY — A federal judge has refused to dismiss a civil rights lawsuit against the city of Ottawa and some law officers in the shooting death of an 18-year-old Ottawa man in August 2014. However, Judge Daniel Crabtree agreed to dismiss that part of the lawsuit filed by the family of Joseph Jennings against the Franklin County Commission and other officers. Crabtree ruled there was enough evidence to allow the lawsuit to proceed against the officers who shot Jennings in the Orscheln’s parking lot. He also allowed the suit against the city to continue on claims Ottawa didn’t provide officers training for dealing with people with mental crises. He dropped the suit against county commissioners, saying the responsibility for training rested more with the sheriff. He dropped the suit against officers who didn’t fire at Jennings, saying they didn’t have a reasonable chance of preventing his death. Both sides appealed to the 10th District of the U.S. Court of Appeals in Denver. Those appeals have been docketed but no hearing has been scheduled.
Monday, Oct. 9, 4 p.m.
