Dominique White’s death certificate indicates two Topeka police officers shot him in the back following a Sept. 28 confrontation in East Topeka.

For a family struggling with answers while Lawrence police investigate, the death certificate — which says White died from "gunshot wounds of back" — offers the first new information to be made public since the day he was killed.

Topeka police said at least one of the shots fired at White struck his chest.

"(The death certificate) verified what we were already thinking," said Kelly White, Dominique’s father, adding he believes his son was running away from Topeka police when he was killed.

Heather Joyce, White’s sister-in-law, said misinformation has compounded the hurt the family is experiencing. His mother, Theresa Wynne, said his death and unanswered questions have been "all-consuming" for her.

The family wants to know what led to the shooting, the names of the officers who fired at White, and access to body camera footage.

"To finish our grieving as a family, we need these answers — whether we like the answers we get or not, we need them," Joyce said.

Joyce would like to see the investigation wrapped up in the next week. If that happens, Kelly White wants Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay to make a decision on charges by the end of the month.

"I feel like it’s been enough time," Joyce said. "And then we want it to go to whoever is most capable of performing their job."

"Without bias," Wynne added.

A family’s anguish

Wynne doesn’t know where to start when asked about her memories of Dominique.

In an interview at dinner last week in downtown Topeka, her voice trails off and other family members step in, commenting on his charisma and how accepting he was of everyone. Kelly White remembers his son as "a people person" who was a good singer and loved music. Trisha Rivera, White’s older sister, described him as a good dad. White had four boys, ages 13, 10, 5 and 3.

Wynne finds her voice when talking about the situation at hand.

"They’re protected by that badge," she said of the unidentified officers involved in the shooting.

Wynne said not knowing the identity of who shot Dominique has provoked fear.

"He may be right next to me," she said of going to public places, such as the grocery store.

Throughout dinner, the family speculates about what did — or didn’t — occur on the day of the shooting, and discuss the community’s response and how police shootings have been dealt with nationally. Most of the eight family members at dinner wear black hoodies with a photo of Dominique. Text on the jackets reads "Say his name, Dominique White."

There are moments of reprieve: A photo of one of their dogs is passed around. They joke with a waitress. But Dominique’s absence and the cloud of questions surrounding his death are pervasive.

"We want to know why he was suspicious," Wynne said. "Him and his girlfriend are sitting in a park at 9 o’clock in the morning. What made him suspicious?"

Topeka police said they responded to a disturbance involving gunshots in Ripley Park. Officers encountered a suspicious person and saw he had a handgun. As officers attempted to secure the firearm, White attempted to flee and reached for the pocket containing the weapon, the department said in a statement released the day of the incident. Officers then shot him.

Since then, the family says they have gotten the "run around" from city officials in both Lawrence and Topeka.

Molly White, Dominique’s stepmom, compares her past experience as a family member of a Topeka homicide victim.

"My brother was killed in 2010," she said. "The detective was on the phone with me the very next morning giving me information. And the whole time, I had a victim’s advocate. The DA was very cooperative with me. This experience has been absolutely different."

Bill Cochran was named Topeka’s interim police chief on Friday. He said he understood why White’s family wants answers as soon as possible.

"I empathize with them on the timeline, but one thing I can tell you is that the investigation is being conducted very professionally — it’s going to be thorough. It’s going to be very complete," he said "Lawrence Police Department will do a very good job on that. One thing I ask people is just let the process take its place, and Lawrence will submit that to the DA’s office, and when the district attorney gets it, they’re going to make a thorough assessment and review of it and we’ll have some better answers at that point."

Joyce said Cochran’s empathy "really doesn’t do anything to help our grieving."

Last week, LPD said it was wrapping up a few parts of the investigation before sending the case to the Shawnee County District Attorney’s Office but didn’t have a timeframe on when it would be completed.

The family has hired attorneys to help them obtain information, and a wrongful death lawsuit isn’t out of the question.

"We’re waiting on the evidence so we can weigh out our options," Kelly White said.

Systemic changes

Kelly White would like to see a shift in how police shootings are handled.

The public should "have access to the body cams that we bought," he said.

Other family members said they wouldn’t want to view the video from the shooting but supported its release.

The Topeka Capital-Journal has requested the video, as well as other documents related to the incident, under the Kansas Open Records Act. The Topeka and Lawrence police departments and the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office have denied the requests, citing exemptions for the safety of officers and the ongoing investigation.

Kansas Rep. John Alcala, who in October sent a letter to Topeka’s interim city manager asking for communication between the city and White family, said he would like to see how other cities handle the release of body camera footage. More research needs to be done before considering legislation, he said, adding he is generally in favor of transparency.

The Police Executive Research Forum has published recommendations for body-worn cameras.

"PERF generally recommends a broad disclosure policy to promote agency transparency and accountability," the organization said in a report. "However, agencies must always take into account privacy considerations when determining whether to release footage."

According to a database maintained by the Washington Post, police have fatally shot 825 people this year nationwide.

Wynne said bringing change to laws and policies regarding police shootings would help her with the grieving process.

"I hope to have closure," she said. "I hope to one day."