Just over a week after a civil jury awarded what could be the largest victory against a Missouri law enforcement officer, the family of the victim killed is speaking out for the first time.
“I just opened the door, and I gave her a hug and fell into her arms and said it’s your brother, isn’t it? And she said yeah, they killed him,” Keri Groves, the mother of Allen Cates children said.
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“This officer violated numerous safety rules, his training, his orders that day,” stated Chad Gardner, the Cates family attorney.
Despite the substantial $10 million award to the victims, the money can never replace the life of the father who was lost.
In the Ring doorbell video of the incident, you can witness and hear the moments when Allen Cates was shot by Jackson County Sheriff’s Deputy Tyler Naudet.
“I thought maybe I could forgive him, but just being in there, his reactions to everything—he had no care in the world for what he did. I can’t be the judge, honestly. He’s going to have to face our maker one day, and that’s who he should be afraid of,” said Groves.
On that summer evening in 2019, Independence police were conducting a sting operation on Cates, who had multiple felony warrants but was known to police as a non-violent criminal.
Naudet was the sole law enforcement officer to discharge his weapon. According to the testimony of multiple Independence police officers, Naudet broke the perimeter and acted contrary to his training.
Chad Gardner, a former police officer and the Cates family attorney, described Naudet’s actions as egregious behavior.
“Policing is a profession, and we expect professionals to maintain their standards. When there is such a gross deviation, we expect there to be ramifications and change,” Gardner said.
A passenger in the car was also injured. A civil jury awarded $3 million to her and $7 million to Allen Cates’ two sons.
“It’s a huge loss for them. I think every boy needs their father, and at some point, there’s only so much a mom can do and teach,” Groves said.
“The investigation into this incident went through appropriate legal review, and Deputy Naudet remains employed… I am unable to comment regarding ongoing litigation. Respectfully, no further statements will be provided.”
The expectation is that this case will be appealed, so it is unclear when the healing process will finally begin for this family.
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