KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A brazen ambush on federal officers in 2020 has landed two Kansas City brothers in federal prison for years to come. G’Ante Butler, 24, and Zarion Butler, 26, both of Kansas City, Kansas, each received a 190-month sentence after a jury found them guilty of opening fire on law enforcement agents.
The shooting unfolded on August 3, 2020, after Kansas City, Kansas police responded to a “shots fired” call on Farrow Avenue. Following an investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) agents and Task Force Officers (TFOs) arrested a suspect related to the Farrow Avenue incident on North Allis Street. As officers were securing the arrest and returning to their vehicles, they were met with a hail of gunfire. One officer and a civilian bystander were struck before the officers could take cover.
Court documents reveal the Butlers, along with co-defendants Nadarius Barnes, 24, Chase Lewis, 23, and Donnell L. Hall, 28, all of Kansas City, Kansas, retaliated for the initial shooting on Farrow Avenue by targeting the North Allis Street location. Investigators recovered a disturbing array of spent shell casings – 9mm, .40 caliber, .45 caliber, 5.56 caliber, and 7.62 caliber – from an alley near the scene, painting a picture of a coordinated and violent attack.
G’Ante Butler was convicted in December 2023 of one count of forcible assault on a federal law enforcement officer and one count of use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Zarion Butler subsequently pleaded guilty to the same charges. Barnes also pleaded guilty to one count of forcible assault on a federal law enforcement officer and one count of use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, receiving a 156-month sentence. Lewis, identified as the driver who did not participate in the shooting, received a 42-month sentence. Hall is currently awaiting sentencing.
“Numerous brave Law Enforcement Officers started their day in August of 2020 doing their job by executing a lawful search warrant when they were ambushed by four individuals,” stated Bernard G. Hansen, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Kansas City Field Division. “No one can be allowed to shoot at law enforcement. This sentence sends a clear warning to anyone who thinks they can shoot at Law Enforcement and get away with it – they cannot.”
The case was a joint effort by the ATF, the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Assistant U.S. Attorneys Faiza Alhambra and Trent Krug prosecuted the case, which falls under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, a program designed to foster collaboration between federal agencies. The investigation underscores the constant threat faced by law enforcement and the commitment to bringing those who target them to justice.
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Key Facts
- Agency: ATF
- Category: Weapons|Violent Crime|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Press Release
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