Former Independence police officer Jordan White is suing the city over what he says was a mishandled and retaliatory effort to bring him back after the fatal 2024 shooting of Maria Pike and her infant daughter. White says he developed post-traumatic stress disorder after the shooting, then faced harassment, relapses and roadblocks when he tried to return to work. The complaint was filed earlier this month in Jackson County Circuit Court.
White is seeking a jury trial on claims including disability discrimination, hostile work environment, retaliation and workers’ compensation retaliation, according to The Kansas City Star. His health care providers allegedly cleared him to return in April 2025, but the lawsuit says Independence officials failed to follow the return-to-work plan, assigned him to a new sector away from his support network and ignored requests for review by the police chief and human resources.
The complaint also alleges that a sergeant expressed concern White might “shoot his former supervisor.” A captain allegedly told officers with PTSD that they had six months to “s- or get off the pot,” language White says contributed to a hostile workplace and worsened his struggles after the shooting.
The Lawsuit Follows A Fatal 2024 Mental Health Call
White and Officer Chad Cox were among the officers who responded to a domestic disturbance at the Oval Spring Apartments on Nov. 7, 2024. Investigative interviews and body-camera footage reviewed by KSHB showed officers spent roughly 12 minutes trying to communicate with Pike before she reached for a knife; The Kansas City Star reported White then fired four shots, killing Pike and her 11-week-old daughter, Destinii Hope…