Cameron Lamb (2019)
Overview
On December 3, 2019, Kansas City Missouri Police Department Detectives Troy Schwalm and Eric DeValkenaere responded as two vehicles were driving at high speeds through a residential neighborhood. Lamb, one of the drivers, was backing his vehicle into a garage when the detectives approached him. DeValkenaere claims that Lamb initially complied with the officers' orders, but then reached for a gun with his left hand and pointed it at the officers. DeValkenaere warned Schwalm of the gun and fired at Lamb, killing him.[1]
Schwalm's statement seems to conflict with DeValkenaere, claiming that Lamb's left hand was visible on the steering wheel when DeValkenaere fired.[1]
On June 18, 2020, DeValkenaere was charged with first-degree involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action.[1][2][3]
On June 18, 2020, the department stated that DeValkenaere had been suspended.[4]
In January 2021, DeValkenaere returned the department, on administrative duty.[5]
In June 2021, Lamb’s family sued the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners and DeValkenaere, accusing them of violating Lamb’s civil rights.[1]
On November 19, 2021, DeValkenaere was convicted of a lesser charge of second degree involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action. In a bench trial, the judge focused on the officers' right to be on the property before the shooting.[6]
On November 19, 2021, DeValkenaere was suspended without pay pending termination.[7]
On March 4, 2022, DeValkenaere was sentenced to three years for involuntary manslaughter and six years for armed criminal action with the sentences to run concurrently. DeValkenaere was freed on bond during the appeal process.[8]
On June 26, 2023, the state Attorney General filed a brief requesting that the conviction be overturned, stating that the "evidence credited by the trial court did not support the convictions".[9]
Video
Detectives with the department were not issued body-worn cameras at the time of this incident.[10]
Officers Involved
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Dan Margolies, Trial of the first Kansas City police officer ever charged in a fatal shooting gets underway today, KCUR, 2021-11-08
- ↑ Dan Margolies, Grand Jury Indicts Kansas City Police Detective In Killing Of Cameron Lamb In December, KCUR, 2020-06-18
- ↑ Indictment, Jackson County Missouri Curcuit court, 2020-06-18
- ↑ Kansas City officer charged in fatal shooting of black man, AP News, 2020-06-18
- ↑ 5 Kansas City officers charged with crimes still on the job, WIBW, 2021-07-12
- ↑ KCPD Det. Eric DeValkenaere found guilty in death of Cameron Lamb, KSHB, 2019-11-19
- ↑ David Hudnall, Kansas City officer found guilty in fatal shooting is suspended ‘pending termination’, Kansas City Star, 2021-11-19
- ↑ Emily Holwick, Former Kansas City police detective sentenced to 6 years in Cameron Lamb's fatal shooting, KMBC, 2022-03-04
- ↑ Missouri AG: Conviction of former KCPD detective accused of killing Black man should be reversed, KCTV, 2023-06-26
- ↑ Body-Worn Cameras, Kansas City Police Department
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