In the early morning hours of a summer Saturday, the small town of Eudora, Kansas, was the scene of a violent encounter that would ultimately claim the life of 32-year-old Bo Matthew Hopson, a white male. On June 24, 2017, at approximately 1:07 a.m., an altercation at D-Dub's Bar and Grill on Ninth Street set in motion a chain of events that would end in tragedy.
Hopson, who was working security at the bar, was attempting to de-escalate a situation involving an intoxicated and disruptive patron.
The patron, identified as 36-year-old Danny W. Queen of Eudora, had been making offensive comments to female patrons and was subsequently asked to leave the establishment. After being escorted outside, a physical altercation ensued between Queen and another individual. Hopson, who had not been involved in the initial confrontation, went outside to check on the situation and ensure Queen did not re-enter the bar. Witnesses reported that Hopson was attempting to help Queen, even offering to get him a ride home. It was at this point that Queen produced a handgun he had been carrying in his pocket and shot Hopson in the chest and arm.
Following the shooting, bar employees and patrons were able to disarm and detain Queen until law enforcement arrived. Hopson was critically injured and airlifted to the University of Kansas Hospital in Kansas City, Kansas. Despite medical efforts, he succumbed to his injuries the following day, on June 25, 2017. His death was officially ruled a homicide caused by gunshot wounds. The incident was particularly shocking for the tight-knit community of Eudora, where violent crime was uncommon.
In the aftermath of the shooting, Danny W. Queen was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the death of Bo Hopson, as well as two counts of attempted first-degree murder for aiming his weapon at two other men before the gun reportedly jammed. His bond was set at $1 million. Queen’s trial took place in Douglas County District Court, where his defense argued that he acted in self-defense, claiming he felt threatened. In August 2018, a jury found Queen not guilty of first-degree murder but convicted him of the lesser charge of second-degree murder, along with one count of attempted second-degree murder and one count of attempted voluntary manslaughter.
The legal saga did not end there. In a surprising turn of events, the Kansas Court of Appeals overturned Queen's conviction in July 2020. The appellate court's decision was not based on the facts of the case, but on a legal technicality: a violation of Queen's right to a speedy trial. The court found that the trial had commenced after the statutory deadline had passed. This ruling was subsequently upheld by the Kansas Supreme Court in 2021, which affirmed the dismissal of all charges against Queen. Due to this procedural error, Danny W. Queen could not be retried for the killing of Bo Hopson and was released from custody.
