Family sues federal government over VA officer’s alleged access to gun before Kansas City murders
By Nick Sloan
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KANSAS CITY, Missouri (KMBC) — The family of a woman and child killed in a Kansas City, Missouri, murder-suicide is suing the United States government, alleging the Department of Veterans Affairs failed to stop the attacker from accessing a government-issued gun.
The complaint, filed Dec. 4 in U.S. District Court in Kansas, alleges VA officials knew officer Jerel McGeachy Sr. had threatened his wife, Dominique McGeachy, and their young son, in the weeks before the April 1, 2024 shooting.
Both were killed after McGeachy retrieved his handgun from the VA armory in Leavenworth, Kansas, according to the lawsuit.
He then took his own life.
KMBC 9 Investigates reported in June 2024 that two high-ranking officials and an armorer at the Leavenworth VA were suspended after authorities confirmed McGeachy used his keycard to enter the armory just before 3:45 a.m. the day of the shootings, despite his access being revoked.
VA leaders have acknowledged the failure and apologized, saying the officer “should not have been able to retrieve his firearm while suspended.”
Court filings say McGeachy had been reassigned to administrative duties and stripped of his credentials and duty weapon after orders of protection were served against him in Platte County, Missouri.
Michelle Smith, Dominique’s mother and the child’s grandmother, is seeking $10 million in damages, arguing the VA was negligent and had a duty to protect the family once it was aware of the threats.
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