Mother tells Douglas County commissioners she was shut down while seeking answers in son's shooting death

Kenya Mitchell told Douglas County commissioners on May 4 that her 21-year-old son, Malachi Mitchell, was shot four times and is dead. Speaking during the board's public-comment period, she described a painful search for accountability and said she felt shut out of the process when she was removed for going "just seconds" over the three-minute limit while asking for answers.

"My son Malachi Mitchell was shot four times in the back of the head and is no longer here to speak for himself," Mitchell said. "Questions without answers, pain without justice, and a system that has left me searching instead of supported." She urged residents to ask questions and to demand leadership that provides consistent communication and accountability.

What the speaker asked for: Mitchell said she had followed all required steps and asked the community to "pay attention, ask questions, demand answers," and to elect leaders who will back families seeking clarity. She described being forcibly removed when she exceeded the allotted comment time and said that removal felt like being treated as a criminal.

What commissioners said: Chair Ramona Jackson Jones and other commissioners acknowledged Mitchell's comment and thanked her for speaking. No new investigative action or promise of a specific procedural response was recorded in the meeting minutes of this session; the remark was entered into the public record during the work session.

Why it matters: A public speaker's plea for transparency in a fatal shooting is a civic signal that constituents expect clearer communication from officials and law-enforcement agencies. The board did not take formal action during the May 4 session on the case; Mitchell's remarks are part of the public record and may prompt follow-up from commissioners or staff.