The Murder of Datton Wilson Jr.

On December 7, 1990, a police officer with the Haysville Police Department (HPD) shot and killed Datton Wilson Jr. in his front yard. A detective with the HPD accused his fellow officers on scene of second-degree murder. The coroner refused to have an inquest, botched the autopsy, and mishandled forensic evidence. An investigation into the shooting by the Sedgwick County District Attorney found the shooting justified. An outraged community forced a grand jury. Civil lawsuits and appeals were filed. All ended in the same result: the police officer was justified in his use of deadly force against Datton.

According to everyone who knew him, Datton was a good man. He was in the Air Force for 20 years, achieved the rank of technical sergeant, and served in the Vietnam War. His friends called him “Sarge.” He managed the bait shop at Boeing’s recreation lake, and taught fishing classes to Boy Scouts. He liked to fish. People in his neighborhood called him the ideal neighbor. He was described as trustworthy, a family-oriented person, easygoing, good with kids, talkative, and without a mean bone in his body.

Datton lived with his wife Joyce and his four-year-old daughter in a middle-class neighborhood in Haysville. He had close relationships with his 11 brothers and sisters, some of whom he raised. He loved and he was loved.

On December 7, 1990, something horrible happened. “Mr. Wilson was hunted down and executed by a police officer on the whim of a hot-headed citizen.” Letter to Editor, The Wichita Eagle, January 4, 1991

Broken down to the most basic details, Datton’s story is not unlike others you have heard – a black man with a gun is shot and killed by a white police officer who claimed to fear for his life. But the story is not that simple.

The Wichita Eagle, December 11, 1990

December 7, 1990

Since Datton was killed, we do not know his side of the story. All of the information here is my opinion only, based on information obtained from newspaper articles and available court documents.

Datton did not work that day, which was Pearl Harbor Day. He ate lunch at home, then around 1:30 p.m. he went to the Wichita Elks Club and The Wichita Greyhound Park where he spent the day with friends. He started for home around 7:30 p.m. Friends say he had about 5 beers throughout the day.

Around 8 p.m., Datton had an altercation on the road with another motorist. The motorist was traveling with his wife and child. According to the other motorist, Datton tailgated him and nearly ran into him twice. Capt. Mike McElroy would tell The Wichita Eagle two days after the killing that Datton was “trying to run someone off the road.” Datton’s family says the motorist was the erratic one who became enraged when Datton passed him.

Datton and the motorist had a heated verbal exchange – the other motorist said that Datton asked him what his problem was, and the motorist asked Datton if he was drunk. No one was harmed and no vehicles were damaged.

The Wichita Eagle, December 19, 1990

In court records, the motorist said he memorized Datton’s license plate number, then “disengaged from the fray” before locating a nearby Haysville police officer to report a drunk driver. The motorist, who claims to have been tailgated, was at some point behind Datton and close enough to read and memorize his license plate number.

The motorist saw HPD Officer Stock parked nearby and stopped to make a complaint about a drunk driver, and said the driver was “extremely drunk.” Officer Stock radioed another HPD officer, Officer Meeks, to be on the lookout for a drunk driver heading south on Seneca.

In court records, Officer Meeks claims that he quickly spotted Datton’s truck on the road and followed him home.

The Wichita Eagle, December 19, 1990

It is important to note that the officer said nothing about Datton’s driving during any investigation. If Datton was swerving or appeared to be driving drunk, this would have been mentioned during the investigation. It is safe to assume Datton was following the traffic laws because he was not pulled over for violating them.

The Wichita Eagle reported that “when the motorist saw the second officer [Meeks] following Wilson, he decided to follow the officer.” Let me emphasize: he decided to follow the officer. The motorist went to Datton’s house. The newspapers and court documents mention, but gloss over this fact, as if it completely normal for a motorist whose family was put in danger by a suspected drunk driver to follow that person and verbally confront them at their home.

The Wichita Eagle, March 31, 1994

The decision of the motorist to follow Datton home could be seen as vigilantism. There was no reason for him to go to Datton’s house. There was no reasonable reason for him to do so. It is aggressive, abnormal and hostile behavior.

Officer Meeks said Datton parked his truck in the driveway, but it is not clear if he was following him closely enough to see him park, or if he simply saw the truck parked in the driveway. He then claimed he saw Datton lying down in the front seat. Fomer Sedgwick County District Attorney Nola Foulston would later tell The Wichita Eagle that Datton “leaned over in the seat to hide” from Officer Meeks. In reality, it’s likely that Datton was unaware of Officer Meeks’ presence at that time.

Officer Meeks said he drove past Datton’s house and then turned around to investigate. It’s not clear when the motorist arrived, but he was also there, with his wife and child. The motorist stopped in front of Datton’s house, flashing his headlights to signal to Officer Meeks. Datton, the motorist, and Officer Meeks appear to arrive at Datton’s home around the same time.

DA Foulston told The Wichita Eagle that the motorist drove up after Officer Meeks was parked, but court documents state that Officer Meeks saw the motorist flashing his lights indicating which house, and then he parked. In either scenario, the motorist parked in front of Datton’s house, in direct view of the front door.

Appellate Court Opinion, Case 94-3179, 94-3180

From Datton’s point of view, he had just had a heated exchange with another man on the road, and the man followed him home. The man claims to have been tailgated, but we know that for at least a brief period of time, the motorist was behind Datton. And we know he followed him home.

Imagine: an angry individual follows you home, where your wife and child are, and is now parked outside outside your house. Can you imagine how upsetting that would be? It seems reasonable for a person to be upset about this abnormal and vigilante behavior.

The Wichita Eagle, July 3, 1991

Datton’s wife, Joyce, said he came inside at some point and told her to get their daughter and hide in a bedroom. He also retrieved an unloaded revolver. DA Foulston told The Wichita Eagle that Datton went inside and got an unloaded revolver when he saw the motorist outside his home – which is reasonable, and perhaps one of the most truthful statements made by Foulston during this case.

Datton likely armed himself with an unloaded revolver because a vigilante motorist followed him home. Datton may have feared for his life and the lives of his wife and child. We know the motorist was not fearful for his family – he took them to Datton’s home.

Datton likely did not see Officer Meeks, and based on how quickly events transpired, he probably didn’t expect the motorist to be with a police officer.

Joyce said Datton was not outside long before she heard two shots. We know from the police audio recording that it was just 43 seconds from the time Officer Meeks arrived to the time Datton was shot.

43 Seconds

As soon as Officer Meeks approaches Datton, Datton makes it clear that the motorist is the one who has the problem. He tells the motorist directly to get off his property more than once. This is reasonable – the motorist has no reason to be there. The motorist is attempting to investigate an alleged crime and punish a perceived offense against him, instead of allowing the police to handle it.

Officer Meeks does not ask the motorist to step back, wait in his car, or leave Datton’s property. Officer Meeks fails to recognize that the presence of the motorist in Datton’s front yard is unnecessary and a potential act of vigilantism. Instead, he tells Datton back up and threatens to arrest him for being angry.

The Wichita Eagle, December 19, 1990

After just a few seconds, things take a dark turn. Officer Meeks tells Datton to “shut up” for no apparent reason. Datton is agitated, but complying with orders. Then Officer Meeks tells Datton “I wanna see that hand.” Officer Meeks saw the gun in Datton’s hand, which he claimed Datton was hiding from him.

Datton may have been hiding the unloaded gun. He was likely expecting to confront a vigilante motorist, not a police officer, and may have been taken aback by the situation he was confronted with in his front yard.

According to court documents, Officer Meeks “repeated his demand several times and drew his own weapon.” Officer Meeks did repeat the command several times, but it’s not clear when Officer Meeks drew his weapon. One could surmise from the audio transcript that Officer Meeks pulled his gun when he made his first request to “see that hand.” It is possible Officer Meeks held Datton at gunpoint for several seconds before shooting him.

Datton complies with the orders given to him by Officer Meeks. He showed his hand. And then he was shot twice. Exactly how he showed his hand was the subject of numerous legal arguments.

Appellate Court Opinion, Case 94-3179, 94-3180

Officer Meeks said that Datton pointed the gun at him, and that he had to shoot him because he feared for his life. The vigilante motorist and his wife agreed that Datton pointed the gun at Officer Meeks.

Based on the circumstances, it seems highly unlikely that Datton would point an unloaded gun at Officer Meeks, especially if the officer had already drawn his weapon. Datton was smart enough to know what would happen. It does not make sense that a man with Datton’s training, background and demeanor would point an unloaded gun at an officer who was pointing a loaded gun at him.

It makes more sense that Datton would have attempted to comply with orders he was given.

Datton’s family contends that he showed his hand to Officer Meeks, as instructed. They said he was holding the gun out in the “surrender” position. It is not clear how Datton was holding the gun, but two of his fingers were severed by one of Officer Meeks’ bullets.

43 seconds elapsed from the time Officer Meeks began recording at 8:08 p.m. to the time he shot Datton at 8:09 p.m.

The “scene of the shooting” has been disputed. Officer Meeks moved his car after the shooting to block the road. His car was not parked there when EMTs arrived. Datton’s family says the patrol car was parked differently, and Datton’s ability to see it from his front door was blocked by a vehicle in the yard. But Datton would have seen the motorist in clear view of the front door, flashing his headlights.

Additionally, the timeline The Wichita Eagle published does not mention the time the motorist arrives at Datton’s house, which would have been at or about the same time as Officer Meeks.

“Is it normal for a private citizen to serve as a back-up to a police officer? Is it normal for a police officer to let a man lie there and die after he has been shot?”
George Martin, Wichita Eagle Public Forum

The Audio Transcript

As published in The Wichita Eagle December 19, 1990

Officer Meeks: What’s the deal going on?

Datton: Ah, I don’t know. You talk to him first.

Officer Meeks: OK. Well, what’s the situation? I don’t even know what…

Datton: I have no idea. It’s his problem, not mine. (To motorist) You’re on my property.

Motorist: My problem is…

Datton: (To motorist) Get off. Get over there on the street.

Officer Meeks: Just hang on a second, OK?

Datton: Tell him to get off my property.

Officer Meeks: What’s going on?

Motorist: Well he come up behind me…

Datton: (To motorist) Get off. Get off.

Officer Meeks: Sir, you’re going to be under arrest for disorderly conduct…

Datton: No, no, no.

Officer Meeks: … if you don’t back up, OK?

Datton: I’m on my property. I’m backing up, alright?

Officer Meeks: I understand that. Alright.

Datton: Backing up.

Officer Meeks: Shut your mouth.

Datton: I’m backing up. No. No. I don’t have to shut my mouth. I will back up but I don’t have to shut my mouth.

Officer Meeks: I’m talking to him just like you asked me to.

Datton: OK. Go ahead and talk to him.

(Officer Meeks claims he hears a gun being cocked)

Officer: OK I wanna see that hand.

Datton: No. No. No.

Officer Meeks: I wanna see that hand.

Datton: I’m gonna back up.

Officer Meeks: I wanna see that hand.

Datton: Don’t, don’t do that.

Officer Meeks: I wanna see that hand.

Datton: Don’t do that.

(Two gunshots – Datton is struck twice)

Officer Meeks: Put the gun down! Put the gun down!

There are concerns about the validity of the audio tape, which was in the possession of the Haysville Police Department for several days before being turned over. For example, family attorney Jerry Berg claims there is a moment on the tape with no recorded sound – not even the background sounds of the neighborhood.

It was suggested by eyewitnesses that the tape was running when Officer Meeks ordered them to leave the scene, but the tape does not contain that verbal command. Datton’s brother claims that seconds of the tape had been removed.

A respected audio engineer from Wichita State University identified several alterations made to the audio tape, including the addition of the sound of a clicking gun that Officer Meeks claimed to hear.

Immediately After the Shooting

Court documents indicate that after Datton was shot, he dry fired his gun twice and then fell to the ground face down on top of his gun. He was in this position when Officer Meeks first said, “put the gun down.”

DA Foulston would later allege publicly that Datton “continued to taunt” the officer with a gun after being shot twice, although there is no evidence of this, except the alleged dry firing of his gun after he had been shot twice.

The Wichita Eagle, March 31, 1994

Officer Meeks continued to hold Datton at gunpoint while he lay face down and unconscious on the ground. Officer Stock “placed his foot on the back of Mr. Wilson’s knee,” and secured the gun. This takes approximately 34 seconds.

Appellate Court Opinion, Case 94-3179, 94-3180

Officer Meeks radioed for emergency help. At some point, Datton vomits. Because he is face down, he is unable to breathe. Officers put Datton in handcuffs, moved patrol cars, shuffled papers, found a coat for a chilly eyewitness, and tended to other duties while Datton struggled to survive. He lay in a pool of blood, dirt, and vomit for almost 7 minutes before help arrived.

Appellate Court Opinion, Case 94-3179, 94-3180

While they waited for medical help, no aid was provided to Datton. He was not rolled over or checked for a pulse. Officers acknowledge they left him face down and breathing after placing him in handcuffs and lifting him off of the ground to retrieve his gun, but claim they had been trained to not move a victim for safety reasons.

Appellate Court Opinion, Case 94-3179, 94-3180

An officer at the scene refused to remove Datton’s handcuffs himself for the EMT, stating he did not want to get blood on his hands. It took the officer another 2 minutes to locate the handcuff key required to render appropriate aid to Datton.

Appellate Court Opinion, Case 94-3179, 94-3180

Datton was pronounced dead at 9:03 p.m., almost an hour after he was shot.

“1990 and ’91 were highlighted by: The Los Angeles police beating incident; the indictments of the police chiefs of Dallas and Chicago; the Kansas City police officer fired for hitting a priest; the Kansas City police officer tried for murder of an innocent citizen; the eight police officers indicted for drug violations in Detroit; the 30 police officers arrested by the FBI in Cleveland on May 29. These incidents highlight the fact that this is the type of officer many people in the public deal with, and the only type of officer many people know.”
Emery L. Goad, Wichita Eagle Public Forum

Cause of Death

Two bullets hit Datton, one going straight into his chest, and the other hitting his fingers, severing them, before hitting his chest.

The assistant coroner who did the autopsy said that Datton bled to death, but the quality of his work would later come into question. And medical experts, including his colleagues, disagreed. Datton’s gunshot wounds alone were not lethal, and he could have bled for an hour from the wounds and his life could have still been saved.

Experts contended that Datton died because his brain stopped receiving oxygen. A bullet nicked Datton’s right lung, and it filled with blood. This blood loss caused him to vomit, a normal reaction. Because he was face down, his airways filled with blood and vomit, and he suffocated.

Datton died from asphyxiation.

“There’s something strange about this deal.”

Datton’s friends and family were shocked when they heard the news. The circumstances surrounding his death were puzzling to the people who knew him.

His longtime friend, Marvin Traylor, said, “There’s something strange about this whole deal. This whole thing doesn’t even sound like him. It don’t add up at all. For Datton to be threatening and abusive… that’s just not him.”

Neighbors Basil and Tammy Shermon told The Wichita Eagle “He has been an ideal neighbor. It is really confusing. He never bothered anybody.”

“He’s a very likable guy, very devoted to his family, real friendly too,” said Datton’s next door neighbor Bill Sample. Bill and Datton lived next to each other for 10 years.

“You couldn’t find a better guy. He’d just go out of his way to be helpful. He’d tell you the best places to go [fishing]. He was a real laid-back guy. It’s hard to believe he’d ever get mixed up in a violent situation,” said Robert Shingler, an acquaintance of Datton’s.

“They are sticking their little finger in the pot to stir it up.” – DA Foulston

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI), Sedgwick County District Attorney office, and the Haysville Police Department promised a thorough and fair investigation. But within days after the killing of Datton Wilson, DA Foulston told the public that Datton “may have been intoxicated when he died,” and told the family through their attorney that Datton was drunk, and the shooting was alcohol related.

DA Foulston stated Datton had consumed so much alcohol, his blood-alcohol level was 0.225, over twice the legal limit. However, in a later grand jury investigation, a Wichita police laboratory forensic chemist testified that Datton’s blood alcohol level was likely one-fifth of Foulston’s reported figures – well under the legal limit. That same investigation would determine the coroner’s work was so shoddy, a blood alcohol level could not be determined.

The Wichita Eagle, December 11, 1990

Because a police officer was involved, the DA’s office refused to give any information to the family about the shooting until their investigation was complete. Datton’s family began their own investigation, with the help of the NAACP and attorney Jerry Berg.

A week after the shooting, Joyce was quoted as saying “I just want to know what happened. I can live with the truth. I can’t live with questions. I don’t know what happened out there and nobody seems to want to tell me … and I don’t think that’s fair.”

DA Foulston had no sympathy for Joyce. “It is unfortunate that we don’t have a blueprint to give her,” she said in response to Joyce’s pleas.

DA Foulston also stated to The Wichita Eagle that she resented Joyce, the NAACP, and Jerry Berg and conducting an independent investigation into Datton’s killing. “They have another autopsy. They have interviewed witnesses on their own and they are sticking their little finger in the pot to stir it up.”

The Wichita Eagle, December 15, 1990

The DA did not want an independent review of the facts. They wanted to control the narrative.

“In the shooting death of Datton (Sarge) Wilson Jr., a Haysville man shot by a police officer, there are still many unanswered questions. The answers seem to be the property of the Haysville Police Department.”
Bill and Vicki Sample, Wichita Eagle Public Forum

District Attorney rules the shooting was justified

12 days after Datton was killed, DA Foulston announced her ruling that Officer Meeks was justified in using deadly force against Datton. She said the evidence clearly showed that Datton pointed a handgun at Officer Meeks. “It is the opinion of the office of the district attorney … that the use of deadly force in this situation was justified.”

Note her finger on the trigger. She is demonstrating how she determined the bullets hit Datton’s fingers and his chest.
The Wichita Eagle, December 19, 1990

Wichita pathologist William Eckert, who originally stated that Datton could not have been holding a gun when his fingers were shot, changed his mind and said Datton could have been holding the gun when he was shot.

The DA’s office originally said that Datton’s gun had not been struck by a bullet; but the results of their investigation concluded the gun was struck by a bullet.

The Appellate Court determined that “Mr. Wilson’s finger was on the trigger at the moment of impact.” But it would later be determined by a grand jury investigation that the KBI failed to take possession of Mr. Wilson’s gun the night of the shooting, so any evidence surrounding the gun is questionable.

The Wichita Eagle, July 10, 1991

District Coroner Robert Daniels had the power to call a coroner’s inquest to investigate the death, but he refused to do so. He was satisfied with the DA’s conclusion.

“This was a Black man in a predominantly white neighborhood married to a white woman. I wish that were not a factor. But I’m afraid it seems to be a factor.” Jerry Berg, family attorney.

DA Foulston’s ruling left Datton’s family angry. They immediately assembled outside the courthouse with signs of protest against the ruling.

The Haysville community was not ready to let this go. “It’s a big coverup. The cops don’t want to talk about it. It kind of makes a person scared to get pulled over in this town,” said Haysville resident Richard Steele.

“It seems like we get one story, and then there’s another to contradict it. Right now, I don’t believe nobody,” said Robert Delk, manager of the Bionic Burger in Haysville.

It was not just residents of Haysville who recognized a problem. “The whole city of Wichita knows something wasn’t right,” said David Thompson, Datton’s brother.

“If we get all the information that we need and the shooting can be justified, then we will all be happy. All we want and all we’re asking for is justice,” said Rev. L.C. Drew, president of the Wichita Ministerial League.

The NAACP concluded the DA mishandled their investigation and voted unanimously to denounce the ruling.

The Wichita Eagle, February 7, 1991

Community Forces a Grand Jury

Datton’s neighbors organized a petition to urge the city of Haysville to release of information about Datton’s death. Before DA Foulston announced her ruling, they already had 100 signatures. Within a few days after the announcement, they had over 600 signatures, 450 of them from Wichitans.

Datton’s friends presented the petition to the Haysville City Council in an effort to get more information about Datton’s death. The council said the investigation was handled according to policy and rejected the petition.

“I just don’t know where to go from here. They’re not listening to me,” said Vickie Sample, Datton’s neighbor and the originator of the petition.

The Wichita Eagle, December 29, 1990

Wilson family attorney Jerry Berg knew what to do next – another petition.

Kansas state law allows for a grand jury to be called if you can get a petition signed by about 2,700 registered voters. Berg was confident he could collect the signatures required to call a grand jury, and he did. Berg collected 2,777 valid signatures in proper form, enough to force a grand jury.

The Wichita Eagle, March 7, 1991

The first grand jury in Sedgwick County in 25 years was called to investigate the shooting death of Datton Wilson, Jr. This was only the seventh time a grand jury had been called in the county’s history.

The Wichita Eagle, March 19, 1991

Whistleblower Detective Richard Lytle

Haysville detective Richard Lytle testified for three hours before the grand jury and told them Officers Meeks and Stock “intentionally withheld first aid” that would have saved Datton’s life.

“The first duty of an officer at the scene of a shooting or at the scene of a crime where the suspect is still living is to render first aid. [There] is no reason, what I can see, that sometime during the 6 minutes and 48 seconds (before paramedics arrived) he couldn’t have had somebody administer first aid or do it himself.”

Lytle told grand jury and The Wichita Eagle that the actions of the officers fit the legal definition of second-degree murder “because no attempt was made to do anything.”

“There was no reason for him to die. I’ve been to enough autopsies. I know enough about CPR, first aid. I know the man should not have died unless the bullet struck a carotid artery which it didn’t. I think they know they did wrong,” Lytle said.

Haysville Police Chief J.E. Kitchings called Detective Lytle’s statement “an out-and-out lie,” but publicly stated that he would not fire Lytle for his testimony. However, shortly after the grand jury returned its verdict, Kitchings fired Lytle for a variety of violations, including failing to “fill a patrol car with gas at the end of a shift in 1983.”

Recognizing that Lytle risked his career and livelihood to do the right thing, the NAACP organized a fundraising drive to help him recover from the loss of his job.

The Wichita Eagle, August 31, 1991

Lytle filed wrongful termination lawsuit against the Haysville Police Department and lost.

When he died in 2007, his obituary said he was a retired police officer with the HPD, and memorials should be sent to the police department.

Grand Jury Clears Officers, But Exposes Problems

After a 7-week investigation, the 15-member all-white jury concluded that Officer Meeks was justified in shooting Datton Wilson, Jr., agreeing with the DA’s ruling.

“No One’s Free Until We Are Free”
The Wichita Eagle, July 9, 1991

The grand jury did find that the County Coroner’s office was “operating in less than a fully professional manner,” and that “no one is paying full time attention to the duties of the office.” For example, state law requires that bodily fluids, like the ones used to determine blood alcohol level, be drawn within 8 hours of death. Datton’s body was not examined until at least 12 hours after his death, even though the coroner was notified 26 minutes after it occurred. Because of this, the grand jury found that Datton’s blood alcohol level could not be determined.

The Wichita Eagle, July 3, 1991

The grand jury indicated that the autopsy performed on Datton was so incomplete they were “limited in [their] ability to determine the exact nature of the injuries caused by the bullets.”

The Wichita Eagle July 3, 1991

The grand jury called the Haysville Police Department’s first-aid training “inadequate,” suggesting that some aid should have been rendered to the dying man.

The jury also determined the KBI’s investigation was full of holes, and investigators did not collect “all evidence, property and statements on the night of the shooting.” This includes the guns of both Datton Wilson and Officer Meeks and statements from eyewitnesses.

Mishandled and missing evidence, including lost photographs of Datton’s dead body that would have helped prove how Datton died, were part of lawsuits filed by the family.

The Wichita Eagle, July 3, 1991

Civil Lawsuit

The family filed a civil lawsuit at the end of 1991, at the one-year anniversary of Datton’s killing. Their complaint included accusations of excessive force, denial of lifesaving first aid, and coverup of wrongdoing. “If Datton had been white, he would not have been shot, or at least medical aid would have been rendered,” according to the lawsuit.

It’s hard to follow exactly what happened during the civil trial, as it wasn’t heavily covered in the media, and the documents were sent to archives long ago. The only easily found documents are from the Court of Appeals opinion, which describes some of the facts presented from both sides. Although there were lengthy court processes, depositions of the police officers and eyewitnesses, and flurries of motions from both sides, the outcome did not change.

The Court of Appeals ruled that it did not matter if Datton was pointing his gun at the officer or intending to surrender it. In fact, it doesn’t sound like it would have mattered if Datton didn’t have a gun at all. If Officer Meeks feared for his life, he was justified, and his actions were reasonable in the eyes of the law.

“Perhaps Mr. Wilson intended to surrender. If so, his death is particularly tragic. However, the inquiry here is not into Mr. Wilson’s state of mind or intentions, but whether, from an objective viewpoint and taking all factors into consideration, Officer Meeks reasonably feared for his life. Qualified immunity does not require that the police officer know what is in the heart or mind of his assailant. It requires that he react reasonably to a threat. Officer Meeks did so.”
Wilson v. Meeks, 94-3179, 94-3180

The Court acknowledged that the officers refused to administer any aid to Datton, and ruled they are not required to show compassion to anyone they injure. And we are not allowed to second-guess their decisions, or else the entire idea of qualified immunity crumbles.

“The Constitution does not empower us to command police officers to show compassion for those they injure in the line of duty. Neither does it empower us to second-guess the police where their actions are reasonable and within constitutional boundaries. To do either would undermine the policies of the qualified immunity doctrine.”
Wilson v. Meeks, 94-3179, 94-3180

The Wichita Eagle, April 21, 1995

The Wichita Eagle, October 14, 1995

Say His Name

“Every man has two deaths, when he is buried in the ground and the last time someone says his name. In some ways men can be immortal.”

Datton’s brother, Sterling, said the HPD “let my brother die” because “dead men tell no stories.”

When I discovered Datton’s story, it hurt me. Like the residents of Haysville and Wichita back in the early 90’s, and like the people who love Datton, it’s hard for me to let this go. Datton Wilson Jr. deserves to be here. He deserved to live. We are alive, and we can tell his story. That’s what I chose to do.

Refuse to let Datton Wilson Jr. die. Tell his story. Remind someone that he was here, and he mattered.