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José Enrique Cartagena Chacon

Age : 25

Gender : Male

Race : Latino/a/e

Date : 06/22/2025

Location : Lenexa Crossing Apartments, 12445 W. 97th Terrace

City : Lenexa

County : Johnson

State : Kansas

Agency : Lenexa Police Department

Officer(s) :Nicholas Gaul; Alexander Clark

Cause of Death : Gunshot

Event : Killed by police while seated inside parked vehicle

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 06/22/2025 at approximately 3:00 a.m., Jose Enrique Cartagena Chacon, 25, was shot and killed by Lenexa Police Officer Nicholas Gaul at the Lenexa Crossing Apartments in Lenexa, Kansas. Officers had been dispatched after a Spanish-speaking woman called 911 and reported a man with what appeared to be a handgun near the apartment complex pool.
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Officers Nicholas Gaul and Alexander Clark located Cartagena Chacon sitting in the driver’s seat of a Volkswagen Jetta in the parking lot. Gaul approached the driver’s side while Clark approached the passenger side. Police said they saw what appeared to be a handgun in Cartagena Chacon’s lap. The weapon was subsequently determined to be a .177-caliber Umarex Walther PPQ CO2-powered pellet gun. It was not loaded with live ammunition and closely resembled a semiautomatic handgun.
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The encounter lasted approximately 10 seconds. According to the Johnson County District Attorney’s investigation, officers repeatedly ordered Cartagena Chacon to show his hands and not touch the gun. Police alleged that he picked up the pellet gun and moved it toward Clark on the passenger side. Gaul, positioned at the driver’s side, then fired multiple rounds, fatally wounding Cartagena Chacon. Body-camera footage of the shooting was subsequently released.
The Johnson County District Attorney’s Office investigated the shooting for approximately four months. District Attorney Steve Howe announced in October 2025 that criminal charges would not be filed, concluding that the officers’ use of deadly force was legally justified.
The family disputes that account.
In June 2026, Cartagena Chacon’s estate filed a federal wrongful-death and civil-rights lawsuit against the City of Lenexa, Gaul, Clark and additional unidentified officers. The lawsuit publicly identified Gaul and Clark for the first time. It alleges Cartagena Chacon was asleep in his vehicle when the officers approached with their guns already drawn, that he posed no threat, and that the officers did not identify themselves as police.
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The complaint further alleges that Cartagena Chacon spoke very little English but that the officers issued their commands in English. According to the family, he was given only seconds to comprehend what was happening. The lawsuit alleges Gaul fired at least eight rounds into the vehicle and disputes the police assertion that Cartagena Chacon pointed the pellet gun at either officer.
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The lawsuit asserts nine claims, including excessive deadly force, unlawful seizure, failure to intervene, assault and battery, wrongful death, survival action and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The family is seeking compensatory and punitive damages and a jury trial. The City of Lenexa has declined to comment on the allegations while the litigation is pending.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.kshb.com/news/crime/family-of-man-killed-by-police-in-2025-files-lawsuit-against-lenexa-police-officers
https://johnsoncountypost.com/2026/08/20/chacon-lenexa-sues-city-police-officers-294452/
https://www.kctv5.com/2026/08/21/family-man-killed-by-lenexa-officer-sues-city-months-after-prosecutor-ruled-shooting-justified/
https://www.kcur.org/news/2025-12-12/force-science-law-enforcement-training-research-lenexa-police-discredited
https://www.kmbc.com/article/suspect-dead-lenexa-police-officer-involved-shooting-overnight/65146577