Former Kansas City Detective Sentenced For Killing Black Man

Photo Courtesy of The Kansas City Star via AP

Former Kansas City police detective Eric DeValkenaere was sentenced to six years in prison for fatally shooting 26-year-old Cameron Lamb, a Black man backing a pickup truck into a garage.

DeValkenaere, 43, was convicted in November of second-degree involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action in the death of Lamb on Dec. 3, 2019.

According to CNN, Valerie Hartman, a spokesperson for the 16th Judicial Court, says

DeValkenaere was sentenced to three years for the involuntary manslaughter of Lamb and six years for armed criminal actions.

Judge James Dale Youngs, who found DeValkenaere guilty last November, ordered that the sentences be served concurrently, Hartman said.

The former cop testified during his trial that he shot Lamb as he was backing his pickup truck into a garage where he lived because Lamb pointed a gun at another detective.

DeValkenaere’s attorney, Molly Hastings, argued that the former detective had led an exemplary life before the sentencing. There was no evidence that DeValkenaere intended to shoot Lamb when he went onto the property. He did so only to protect his partner, Troy Schwalm.

Youngs said the detectives rushed onto the property with guns drawn without taking a breath to consider whether there might be a safer action. “At any point, they could have done something else,” Youngs said.

After DeValkenaere received the guilty verdict in the November trial, Laurie Bey, Lamb’s mother, spoke outside the downtown Jackson County courthouse.

“It’s very overwhelming. I am happy that the judge saw fit, and he followed the law, but I miss my baby, and this just did not have to be. It did not have to be,” Bey said, according to KSHB.

Lamb’s stepfather, Aquil Bey, says he hopes the verdict and jail sentence will “shake up” the police department and give people more of a voice to speak out on injustice.

DeValkenaere has been freed on a $30,000 bond and will remain free while his conviction is appealed.

Aziah Kamari

Aziah Kamari Pless is a writer and content creator with 5+ years of experience in freelance writer, editor and PR roles. A graduate of Florida State University, she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English: Editing, Writing and Media. She incorporates her interests in music, fashion, media and entertainment to create versatile and compelling content.