Kansas City Brothers Get Prison Time for Ambushing Cops

Two Kansas City brothers, G'Ante Butler, 24, and Zarion Butler, 26, will serve time in prison for their roles in a brazen 2020 attack on law enforcement officers.

On August 3, 2020, Kansas City, Kansas police officers responded to a "shots fired" call at a house where the Butler brothers' parents lived on Farrow Avenue. In response to the investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Special Agents and federally deputized Task Force Officers (TFOs) went to North Allis Street and arrested a suspect in the Farrow Avenue shooting. As the officers were returning to their vehicles, multiple shooters began firing at them, striking an officer and a civilian bystander.

The Butlers, along with co-defendants Nadarius Barnes, 24, Chase Lewis, 23, and Donnell L. Hall, 28, all of Kansas City, Kansas, shot at the North Allis Street house in retaliation for the earlier shooting on Farrow Avenue. Officers later recovered numerous spent shell casings (including 9mm, .40 caliber, .45 caliber, 5.56 caliber, and 7.62 caliber casings) from an alley west of the targeted North Allis Street home.

G'Ante Butler was found guilty 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 pleaded guilty to one count of forcible assault of a federal law enforcement officer and one count of use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

The brothers were sentenced to 190 months' imprisonment. Co-defendant Barnes was sentenced to 156 months' imprisonment, while Lewis, who did not shoot at officers, received 42 months' imprisonment. Donnell L. Hall is 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. 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," stated Bernard G. Hansen, Special Agent in Charge, Kansas City Field Division.

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