A federal wrongful-death lawsuit has publicly identified the two Lenexa police officers involved in the fatal shooting of 25-year-old Jose Enrique Cartagena Chacon, naming Officer Nicholas Gaul as the one who fired eight rounds into Chacon's car during an encounter that lasted about 10 seconds. The suit, filed on behalf of Chacon's mother, also names Officer Alexander Clark.
The Kansas City Star gives June 21, 2026, as the lawsuit's filing date, while the Johnson County Post gives June 26 as the estate's filing date. It asserts nine legal counts against the city and the officers. As reported by the Kansas City Star, Chacon's mother filed the suit against the city of Lenexa and the officers accused of shooting her son, who had been living with relatives in Grandview, Missouri at the time of his death.
What Happened Outside Lenexa Crossing
Lenexa police were called to the Lenexa Crossing Apartment Homes in the 12400 block of West 97th Terrace around 3 a.m. on June 22, 2025, according to the Kansas City Star. Body-worn camera footage showed officers arriving with guns drawn and finding Chacon with a gun in his lap; an officer ordered him to raise his hands. Officer Gaul then fired eight shots into Chacon's car, and officers performed life-saving measures on him afterward, but he was pronounced dead.
The gun turned out to be a pellet gun with no bullets, according to the lawsuit. A 911 report described a woman seeing a man shooting another man with a gun in the pool, per the Kansas City Star's reporting.
Two Competing Accounts of the Same 10 Seconds
The lawsuit alleges Chacon posed no threat to officers, that he was sleeping in his car during the encounter, that officers never identified themselves as police, and that Chacon hardly understood English. Former Lenexa Police Chief Dawn Layman said the encounter lasted about 10 seconds, according to KCUR.
Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe announced in October 2025 that the shooting was justified, saying officers feared for their lives because Chacon would not obey commands and started pointing the firearm toward them, according to the Kansas City Star. The federal complaint names Gaul and Clark.
Training Firm and Surveillance Draw Scrutiny
A December 2025 investigation by KCUR found that the Lenexa Police Department relies on Force Science, a Minnesota-based private training firm that legal scholars have criticized for producing unverified research they say is biased toward clearing officers. Howe cited Force Science principles when explaining his decision not to charge Gaul and Clark, KCUR reported. Separately, KCUR reported in February 2026 that Lenexa police had previously used the city's automated license plate readers to monitor a local resident and launch a criminal probe against him after he published a newspaper opinion column criticizing department practices. According to the FBI, its National Use-of-Force Data Collection provides nationwide data on incidents involving law enforcement personnel, subjects and circumstances.
Howe decided not to prosecute in the Chacon case. Just last week, Howe announced that deputies would not face charges in the December 2025 death of Jonathan Lunceford at the Panasonic plant in De Soto, according to KCTV5.
City Declines Comment on Pending Case
City of Lenexa spokesperson Denise Rendina said the city and its police department have no comment because of the pending litigation, per the Kansas City Star's reporting, which was contributed to by Laura Bauer. The Kansas City Star gives June 21, 2026, as the filing date for the lawsuit against the city, Officer Nicholas Gaul, and Officer Alexander Clark, while the Johnson County Post gives June 26 as the estate's filing date. No trial date or further court proceedings were detailed in available records.
